Surviving the Sues
by storiewriter
Summary: Redwall has fallen, Mossflower is being overrun, and the Mary Sues doing it are almost unstoppable. The only resistance left is the Secret SueSlayer Society of Salamandastron, and their strength dwindles with each passing season. How can they win this?
1. Prologue

A/N: I really shouldn't be starting another story, but...

I have been doing these quickwrites with this person...Name here (Though not on Fanfic.) is Eruravenne. Eruravenne has asked me to place it on here if it's any good, and I rather think it is. The person I am currently working with has done the prologue; as seen below. He/She and I will be working on this together, so you will see parts that are considerably better than mine.

Enjoy.

* * *

The badger Lord leaned heavily on his forepaws, staring grimly at the map spread out on the table before him. Without looking up, he spoke.

"What news?"

"Reports of new monsters 'ave come in from this section of Mossflower," the old hare replied, tapping the map with a brown paw. "We aren't really sure why, but think it might 'ave somethin' to do with th' place being notorious for its snakes…Sues are prob'ly lookin' f'r villains to defeat."

The badger nodded, motioning for the hare to go on.

"Right…ah…about seven more Sues reported, of varying species and colorin' of course—one Slayer spotted an eagle who could be nothin' but a Sue, if th' odd feather coloration was anythin' to go by."

"And what of Redwall?"

"Still overrun, sir. We can't none of us get closer'n a half-mile to the place before comin' across abou' three Sues in th' space of five minutes."

Silence rolled through the room for a long while.

"Sir? Are you all-right?"

"It's only a matter of time, Beechwood. Only a matter of time before the Sues start to think of Salamandastron as well as Redwall—they seek heroes and villains. We've had a share of both in the past. And when they do remember us…"

"Ah, sir, it won't end up like that! We're already picking them off one by one—they can't last forever."

"Just how many new recruits have we pulled in this past year?"

"Abou' twenty, give or take the odd shrew, why?"

The badger Lord ignored Beechwood's question. "And how many warriors have been sent out in this past month?"

"Four novices, two adepts, and about three Slayers who came back to report."

"How many new Sues have been reported last month, and how many reported dead?"

"Thirty-seven new Sues, and eight slain…but the numbers can't really be relied on, two warriors could 'ave seen the same Sue an' gotten it reported twice without knowin' it. Sir, why're you askin' me this? You already knew it, I thought."

"I'm pointing something out to you, Beechwood," Oakpaw replied, lifting his head from the map at last. "We gain twenty recruits in a year, and the Sues gain about thirty in a month. They kill more of us than we of them, and we can ill afford that. We are already outnumbered, and it's growing worse. With every beast the Sues turn, we lose another potential Slayer. If this keeps on, we'll all be dead or worse by the end of winter."

"Well," Beechwood ventured, "We'll just have to make sure it don't keep on that way. Our researchers are lookin' for that weakness all Sues are s'posed to 'ave, th' one in all those counter-prophecies that pop up on our side."

"What worries me, Beechwood, is that we might not find it until it's too late."


	2. Pursuing Nightmares

A/N: Two chapters in one night...Oh my...

* * *

Hanako Nanami Selena Pallas Sparklystar paused in her walk, a hideously beautiful aura of general Sue-ishness swirling around her slender form like an invisible cloud of pure evil. The forest around here was silent; insects and other small living creatures sensed Hanako's nature and were avoiding her like she carried the plague. Hanako, of course, didn't realize this. She believed that they were in silent awe of her beauty.

She was a tall and slender ottermaid, with fur as black as midnight, though it shone with highlights as blue as a lake when light touched it. Scattered throughout her already-lovely pelt were hairs tipped in bright silver, so that she looked like a sliver of the night sky had come to earth and taken on otter form.

Now alone in the forest, she blinked her bright turquoise eyes and looked about, almost sure that her delicate ears had caught an odd sound.

A tiny whispering rose from the bushes before her, as of something long and thick moving over leaves. Uncertain, Hanako stepped back, her shimmering silver tunic flowing about her form with the movement. One slender paw gripped the hilt of her great sword, Starstreamer, while the other reached up and touched the large central sapphire of her river-tears necklace. The feel of it reminded her of her parents and siblings, who had all been killed by vermin years ago, and she choked back sobs.

"Ahhhhh, how sssssweet…the little maid isssss crying."

A large snake slithered out of the brush and rose up before Hanako. Far from being afraid, however, she brushed away the single tear that had escaped and drew Starstreamer, holding the seven-foot-long silver blade erect in a guard position. The sun streaming through overhead branches and caught on the gold and sapphire star-and-stream pattern that flowed down the sword's length, twining around runic letters of a strange language cut into the blade.

"And now the little maid issss going to cut me with her ssssshiny ssssword!" The snake hissed in mock terror. "Oh, what am I ever to do? Ssssstrike her down, perhapsssss…it hassss been ssssso long ssssince I tasssted otter…"

You should fear me, snake!" Hanako exclaimed in her beautiful silver voice. Her black eyes glittered dangerously into the snake's red ones. "I am Hanako Nanami Selena Pallas Sparklystar, the Warrior Maid of the blade Starstreamer, which once belonged to my many-times-great-grandmother, Theia Hero Cho Natsuko Watermist, the greatest Warrior Maid these woods have seen before myself!"

The snake seemed impressed…or perhaps just shocked. One can't really blame him—that was a fairly long run-on sentence Hanako just managed.

She continued.

"I am the last of the Silver-water Clan, the sole survivor of an attack by verminous rats and weasels, though I was but a cub at the time. Since then, armies have fallen at my blade! Corsairs have begged for their lives, appealing desperately to my kind nature! I have discovered the great destiny that awaits me—I have learned to read the markings on this blade, and they name me the rightful ruler of all Mossflower in a prophecy as ancient as the stars themselves!"

By now the snake was positively cross-eyed and wriggling as though in extreme discomfort. Hanako never noticed, however, being so self-absorbed at this point that everything about her faded into near-oblivion.

She went on and on for a long while, praising her own beauty, wit, beauty, kindness, beauty, intelligence, beauty, sense of dress, beauty, weapons, beauty, skill in battle, beauty, lithe speed, beauty, swimming prowess, beauty, tragic past, and did she forget to mention her stunning beauty?

By the time Hanako ran out of things to say, the sun (which had been high in the sky when she began) was sinking beyond the horizon in a dazzling blue-purple-red fire (the general Sue-ishness of beasts like Hanako throughout Mossflower had long since polluted the sky, giving odd colors and textures to everything there) and the snake lay panting, in pain, and nearly dead on the path before her. She felt a sudden surge of pity for the poor creature—surely all he needed was a little loving care, and he would be a goodbeast like herself!

Sheathing her giant sword and kneeling, Hanako laid a gentle hand on the snake's cold, scaly head and closed her eyes. There was a flash of silver light just as the sun vanished, leaving multi-colored stars in a purplish-blue-turquoise-black streaked sky, which was a wonder to behold (if you were a Sue…other animals actually found the swirling colors rather sickening).

The light cleared, blowing away like faint mist, and the snake revived, rearing up. His eyes, no longer red but as green as new summer grass, shone up at Hanako with undisguised adoration. The previously dusty-brown, scaly body moved in complicated patterns of absolute beauty, leaving behind a faint purple shimmer as they moved, their smooth iridescence catching starlight and reflecting it in a multitude of colors and shades, so that the entire clearing was lit with dazzling lights.

Hanako dropped into the formal language she had once used as a Princess of her Clan. "What is thy name, goodbeast snake?"

"My name is Sliteyes, milady, but I would be honored if you should grace me with a name of your own choosing, as this one is too vile for a goodlady like you to utter!"

"Very well, goodsnake, thy new name shall be Emeraldeye Shiningtail."

"Oh, it is a beautiful name! Too good for me, milady, I thank you for this great goodness and mercy you have bestowed upon me this night!"

"Thou art a courteous snake, Emeraldeye! Know this, that I would have you be a companion to me in my travels to Redwall, for thou art noble and brave, from what I have seen, and a loyal friend to me."

The scene froze then, and faded away, falling upwards as it went, or perhaps she was falling downwards? It was cold, and dark, and there was a terrific pressure around her as she fell, and a haunting sound of silver laughter…

Kimberly Greypaw woke with a start, cutting off a frantic shout as she did so. The young hare drew a paw across her eyes, rubbing sleep from them and trying not to think of the dream she'd just had…but she must think of it. She must remember it. That dream could only mean one thing.

There was a Sue nearby. A powerful Sue.

Shuddering, Kimber stood and strapped on her short sword. She'd been having dreams like this for as long as she could remember, but they always terrified her. She didn't know what would be worse—to have this ability to sense, and sometimes see, nearby Sues and their actions, or to be completely unaware and perhaps be turned by them.

In the end, she decided on 'unaware'.

Hefting her shield, Kimber forced herself to consider all possible actions. She could go and try to kill this Sue, relying on her Sue-sense to guide her in the right direction, or she could return to Salamandastron and report herself alive, unturned, and the number of Sues she had slain in the last month.

But then this Sue might get away and be in Redwall Abbey, beyond their reach, by the time a Slayer tried to get to her.

No. She had to take this chance right now, while she still had it…even if it meant facing down a Sue and an enchanted snake at the same time.

Alone. Unaided. A novice.

Kimber sighed. In truth, she had been extremely lucky to have killed two Sues this past month. Both were very minor, and she had successfully managed to stall both by asking them about their pasts, at which point they became so centered on relating their tales and crying that they never noticed being slain. If her Sue-sensor dream was anything to go by, however, this was a Death-Talker, which meant that getting the Sue to relate past experiences would only kill Kimber. Her mind had gone fuzzy even while protected by being in the dream world.

Kimber needed help, and fast. Hoping that What's-her-face-Sparklystar and her pet snake wouldn't be going very far, she bounded away through the morning mists, searching for a fellow Sue-slayer.

The shrew held her rapier aloft, eyes flickering back and forth as she shifted from paw to paw. The forest was far too quiet…there should've been far more noise, it was midday. Hearing leaves lightly scattering behind her, she dove into a bush and waited, breathing lightly, fur bristling, for the thing to come in sight.

Eunomia Freyja Fionnghuala Clytia Rosepetaleye lightly padded through the forest, a figure of complete grace and beauty. Her light red pelt rippled in the dappled sunlight created by the leaves above, and what little leaves there were on this bright summer day, enhanced even more so thoroughly by the many Sues rampaging all over Mossflower; they had conquered Redwall but a week ago. There was a rustling nearby, quick and furious, and she stopped, curious to what it was.

A mouse suddenly appeared before her, ragged and dirty, wild light in his eyes. "Begone, Sue! Begone from Mossflower!" He pointed his short sword at her, and a hint of a growl echoed in the back of his throat.

She reeled back dramatically as though she was hit. She meant it sincerely, but that made it look even more. "Why do you threaten me so? I am but a traveling maid in these parts!" The gigantic emerald earrings swung a little with the motion of her head, and the jewels on her belt flashed in the sun brighter than they usually did; even then, those covered in the shade kept up a steady glow.

The mouse hesitated, and then started to advance. "Leave now, Sue! Vermin!"

Her once-violet eyes now turned black and seemed to suck all color in, though a rim around the pupil seemed to reflect the light, which created a very odd effect.

"Vermin? _Vermin_?! Why should I be called that when I myself was tortured at the hands of my own kind?"

This mouse was smarter than the others, as he rudely interrupted her. "Now, Sue, don't go hypnotizing me with your 'horrid past' story! I'm not fool enough!"

"**Silence**!" Even then, her voice was beautifully terrible in the way it rung through the forest and quieted everything within a league in all directions. All Sues nearby stopped to listen to this maid tell her story; they wanted to see if theirs was worse than hers. "Do you not know that, when I was but a week into this world, my father became fearful that I would plot against him and try to steal the throne, he threw me into the slave's pit, where I toiled day and night under many blows to construct whatever came to his fancy at the time?"

The mouse was losing his sanity, and had to struggle to keep it. "Now, Sue, I don't _want_ to hear your-"

"I danced and sang to help the other slaves keep their joy and hope, believing I could at least fan those flames higher by my kindness, even though I had no hope or anything of the sort."

"No…Must…Shut…Voice…out…" The mouse could no longer clearly state words correctly; even then, some of the grime had fallen off, and his eyes were slightly clouded.

"My father became even further fearful and took me down to the dungeons where I would be heavily tortured everyday, chained to the wall, with naught but a crust of bread every two days and a cup of water every day to keep myself alive. For that is the only reason he would do so; he wished to see me scream and beg for mercy when he would give none; that is the only reason he kept me alive."

There was now only a faint moaning from the poor mouse, as he clawed at the ground to cover himself with dirt, but he was becoming more and more of a Sue by the minute.

"And then my best friend, Sylvia Mariana Allanistar, a mosuemaid of considerable courage and of a quiet, kind nature, attempted to rescue me from that pit of dark and dirt and cruelty and pain and death. But my father figured it out, and killed her when she attempted to."

There was only ragged breathing as the mouse started to change, his ragged clothes slowly but surely turning into those of a Sue. He struggled weakly against the nauseatingly sweet words of the Sue, which crashed over him and beat his personality out of him, replacing him with a Sue.

"I swore to take vengeance on him, and I escaped the moment I could. I went back one day, to destroy the father that was none, and stood over his unmoving corpse at last."

She then went on to explain about her beauty and voice (and how that had been seriously damaged, though it clearly did not sound of it at all) and kindness and generosity, all the while converting the poor, regular mouse into a Sue, and stopped when suddenly the sun was nearing the horizon, and the mouse was nearly converted into a Sue; but he was barely breathing and the expression on his face was one of agony. There was one last thing.

"Oh, you poor dear, let me sing to you so that your pain is soothed." She then, without warning and not noticing the last, clear look of alarm in the beast's eyes, launched into an impossibly high-noted, trilling song, which words could not be deciphered properly and, if they were deciphered, would make the decipherer choke and vomit.

The pain eased away, replaced with a look of calm peace. She stopped her singing, and helped him up, where the now golden-furred mouse stood before her, lean and muscular and tall with only a kilt on, made of a bright, bright red where emeralds were stitched in. His eyes were a strange mix of gold and green and red and orange, and were in the form of streaks against a background of gold. His eyes had become slightly larger, but not so large as Eunomia's. His fur was not plain gold; streaks of black were delicately placed, and there was a large, black spiral on his chest.

He kneeled to the Mary Sue. "My lady."

Her expression turned soft and kind, like it was some sort of mush that was so revolting that nobeast but a Sue would look at it as nice. "What be your name?"

He paused, and looked up from where his head was bowed. "My name, O Beauteousiful Stoat, is not good enough for thine kind and sensitive ears."

"That is alright. You may tell me so I can deem it good enough or far too bad for such a wonderful creature as you."

"My name is-was-Furrel. I have-had-no surname."

She frowned, and whisked a huge, long blade of twenty feet long and ten feet wide. She touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Then, hereby, you will no longer be known as such a revolting name. You shall now be called Waldek Elof Mieszko Jarosław Goldensunrisefur, and will go now on a quest to find what your weapon will be. I would like to be at Redwall soon."

"Yes, my Lady Eunomia Freyja Fionnghuala Clytia Rosepetaleye. I will do as you command."

He walked off into the unknown, emeralds not quite as glowing as Eunomia's were, but glowing all the same.

With a smile, she continued on her journey.

Karen woke with a shudder, even though it was near night. She had slept all day; her first day out of Salamandastron.

Darn it…she had grown stronger.

Karen had to get stronger…_By my own practice_, she added hurriedly to herself, not wanting the only thing stopping her from being vulnerable to becoming one of those horrors to deactivate. She couldn't let that _monster_ continue growing stronger and creating more Sues…The Secret Sue-Slayer Society had enough on their paws; there were too many Sues.

"Dunes of Salamandastron, this is bad!" This monstrosity that had turned her own brother into a Sue had gotten the ability to be a Sue-Talker. About as bad as a Death-Talker, but worse.

Just her luck. She had been able to shake off most of her effects, but, even now, she spotted a small jewel in her tunic. Ripping it out forcefully, she flung it away.

She stamped her paws, and, convincing herself that no Sues would come and try to get her, she made a fire. She had a long night, and she scolded herself soundly. She'd have to find a partner in order to destroy that Sue.

The shrew settled down, and, with her not-very-long-worn-down-rapier, took sentinel for herself.

Tomorrow she would begin her career, not quite officially, though, as a Novice Sue-Slayer.


	3. Falling

S/N: Yes, s/n. storiewriter's note. Thank you to all who reviewed!

**Keliah**: Yes, this was motivated by those two stories. I thought that what I was going to use would work, but I guess it didn't. She says 'Thank you.'.

And I never wish to have to write this kind of sappy stuff again. Ick, Blech, run away and hide.

* * *

Suzume Mai Ami Jiang Misani Rio Hyun Yumilo Chou Momoko Falle Momoka Brightlyshingingsunsoul strode through the glittering Great Hall, and the stones her paws trod on glowed with such a bright pink light that anybeast but a Sue who saw it would immediately be blind for a second, and then turn into one. She was one of the most dangerous types of Sue; A Sight-Sue. Unless you were trained as a Sueslayer, you would turn into a Sue within minutes of seeing her. And even then, the Sueslayers had to fight hard to succeed at escaping her. 

A male fox came from the opposite direction, light emitting from every hair in his pelt, giving his lustrous, midnight blue fur a glow that could only be described as, from a sueslayer point of view, disgustingly eerie.

"Have you any need of me, my beautiful Ramunas Bernat Kazimeras Vilhemlas Vilhelmo Virgilijus Jochjo Johan Honeydew Henrikas Aras Liudvikas Evershiningstarlitwonderousbeautiousglowingfur?" She dipped a curtsey to him, delicate and as beautiful as a just-budding spring flower, with drops of dew daintily covering the soft, waxen petals…

He smiled at her, bowing to her in return. "Nothing as of yet, the brightest shining star in my life, who lights the way in my dark, dark life."

She scooted over to him, twining her paw in his. "Has that life become brighter for you, darlingest young oak who showers me with gently falling, beautiful green leaves?

Ramunas stroked, with his thumb-claw, her silky, beautifully silver fur that was tinged with a slight pink, showing her mood. Smiling gently at her, he kissed the top of her head, and held her at arm's length.

"Come. We must see how many more poor, deceived souls we must rescue from dark lives, like you and I have led."

They disappeared down the hall, Martin's eerily glowing tapestry seemed to scowl at their disappearing backs with resentment, and cold eyes glared as he saw what exactly these hideously beautiful monsters were doing to his beloved Abbey, and his beloved Mossflower.

* * *

Karen tried to go as silently as she could through the forest, which was horrendously polluted by the amount of Sues in the area. She halted every time she snapped a twig; any Sue could hear her within a ten foot radius. If that happened, she would be dead. 

Or, maybe not.

It all depended on the strength of the Sue. If it was newly converted, it would be relatively easy. Their minds had been warped to make their pasts seem dark and without hope, twisted beyond repair. All that was needed was to ask them about their pasts, and the job was ninety-eight percent done.

If they were like Eunomia, then there was no chance of survival for a beginner like her. Even she realized the rashness of chasing her, though that didn't stop her. Revenge was what she wanted, even if it sounded Suey.

Eventually, she rolled her eyes at a ruby-like lady bug with artistically shaped dots and legs, the head beautifully carved. Disgusting.

She was getting careless, and, even though part of her mind cautioned her, she began being noisier and noisier. She wanted a Sue. She was feeling reckless, and hoped that the potion wouldn't desert her while she did this.

A beautiful, golden-furred mouse stood in front of her, holding a gleaming sword aloft, red and green and orange speckled gold eyes observing her before sheathing it quietly. "Where goest you, maid?"

Inwardly, she grimaced at his old-fashioned sounding words, but, recognizing him from her dream that morning, curtseyed to him. "Oh, kind sir, I was wondering whetherest I might find the beautiful Abbey of Redwall."

"Ahh…but, poor beast, you have such agony in your eyes…and they are dull with pain. Here, let me soothe your pain, clean your fur, and make you your true self with shining eyes and wonderous clothes."

The shrewmaid seriously felt like vomiting now. "Oh, kind sir, I was hoping I might go to the Abbey of Redwall to be cleansed of my dark past and unhappy present."

"Of course. But would it not be better to get cleansed now, and enjoy the rest of your journey with me?"

"Alas, no. My paws are weary, and I must rest. Mightn't you tell me a tale? Mightn't you tell me of your past?"

His eyes flashed angrily. "My past! My darkest, deepest past! For that is no tale for beautiful maids. Dark and Ugly and Unhappy."

"Please. I need something…true."

He sighed, and sat down beside her standing form, and she sat down as well, taking care to conceal the wonderfully dull weapons from his radiating Sue-aura.

"I grew up as the youngest mousebabe of thirteen children. They constantly picked on me, but for the middle child, Lillyana. She was kind to me and protected me, and there was a light in my life until horrible beasts attacked. They my mother, who also helped me through troubled times, and my father, who punished my siblings now and then. Now my eldest brother, Veli, who had detested me for so long, was in charge.

"He was going to sell me and my sister as slaves."

She faked a gasp right then, and urged him to continue. "What did you do?"

"We ran. He followed me and Lillyana for thirty leagues or more, and finally caught us. He tortured my sister, _his_ sister, the kindest and gentelest and prettiest of us all. And then, he killed her."

Karen allowed tears to spring up in her eyes, and even forced a few more out to make it look as though she meant it.

"I took the blade he carried from him with such force that a claw was broken off his paw, and then, even though he deserved it, didn't hit him over and over with the whip he had tortured my sister with. I gave him a swift death, for Lillyana loved life, and she would _never_ have me kill in such an excruciatingly painful way."

He was about to turn to look at her when a knife materialized in his chest, and the maid sounded like she was being dragged away, screaming in fright.

His head became dizzy, and blackness washed over him as he died.

Karen stalked back and took the knife from his now-normal body. Nobeast knew why this happened, why the Sue's; or in this case, Stu's, natural (if you could call them that) features vanished and left the original, true self behind to be buried and rot.

There came loud voices and a slow, but steady heaviness of Sue Air wafted towards her. She crept towards it instead of away, flinching every time a twig snapped under paw. Rashness indeed…this was suicide.

* * *

Kimber shoved one last sparkly-leafed, golden-barked and generally Suified tree limb out of her way and stepped out into a natural forest clearing…or a clearing that had once been natural, at any rate. Now it was filled with Bright Golden Banners of Sunshine that Swirled with Tiny Silver Currents of Air, and a cloying smell of roses, jasmine, and honeysuckle. Holding one paw over her nose, Kimber batted away a Ruby-Red butterfly that was trying to land on her ears and got reddish-pink glitter all over that paw for her trouble. 

Trying hard not to breathe too much of the sickly sweet Sue-scent, the haremaid ventured further in, ducking two more glittery jewel-tone butterflies and getting the silvery breezes tangled in her ears like wet, metallic cobwebs. Shaking them off carefully, she let out a quiet whistle.

"Archie? Archibald!"

The colored breezes swirled sluggishly in the air. There was no other movement.

Shrugging off a feeling of foreboding, Kimber whistled again: two short sounds, one long and full. The SSS Society's semi-distress signal went spiraling away into the woods, carried on its highly irregular and erratic course by the Sue-air.

Then a sudden blast of tingling set into Kimber's paws and ears—it was behind her. She whirled, sword out and round wooden shield slipping over her paw, facing the danger…

Archibald stood before her, but it was not the same hare she had graduated from Basic Training in Salamandastron with. He looked taller, held himself in a sort of loosely erect posture—relaxed, yet proud—and his fur, previously a sandy brown, gleamed with yellow and white light. Stepping from the shadows into a Bright Golden Banner of Sunlight, Archie's once-nice-brown eyes glittered an impossibly bright blue.

Kimber stumbled back, gasping. A Marty Stu!

Archie—it—he—spread his paws out, revealing a satin-white tunic, adorned with topaz and diamonds. He smiled charmingly, but Kimber's gaze was fixed on the golden hilt of the standard Sue-sword that poked almost innocently over his shoulder. The moment his paw moved—no, before even that, she had to run, to tell the leaders at Salamandastron…

"Kimber. Aren't you glad to see me, Kimber, my friend?"

By the Badger Lords, even his voice had changed! Kimber couldn't help but think wistfully of the boyish tones and odd accent that had once gotten on her nerves—anything was better than this honey-dripping tone!

"Oh, Kimberly. You look at me so strangely. Do you not realize how much better off I am now? How free I feel? All those years trying to slay these beautiful creatures, we have never realized who they were, what they mean for Mossflower!"

Startled into answering, Kimber argued back.

"What they mean? Arch, they're _ruining_ our forests. But now you're one of them—the potion? Did you forget to take it?"

"Ah, no, my dear friend. I took it with foolish blindness for so long! And then, just last night, one of the kindest, the most beautiful of them all, came to me. I tried to fight her—how misguided I was then!—but she showed me my errors, the errors of all others I followed. All at once I wished to be like her…and that terrible potion drained away, releasing me like so many chains dropping away at the touch of a key. Such freedom I felt then, Kimberly, such strength! My heart was freed, my mind loosed from that which had held it.

"You call us cruel names, hunt us down like common vermin, denounce us, but you do not realize how crucial we are to the strength and life of Mossflower, how much good we do for it! This forest has never looked so lovely, never…until we came.

"I am glad you came to see me, Kimber. You would make such a beautiful comrade—your fur is set to become brightest silver, I see it already! Please, my friend, join me. Join us. Just think of what good you could do."

That one phrase echoed in Kimber's mind. The good she could do. What good could she do as a Sue? Infiltrate Redwall, destroy them from within, find their weaknesses…

And then she noticed the bright paw before her, and the hare that held it out, and realized the danger in these thoughts.

"Lose my mind completely?" Kimber countered sharply, stepping back and raising her sword and shield, which had both dropped in her limp paws. "Become some brainlessly beautiful maid with an oversized sword? Abso-_bally_-lutely NOT, thank-you-very-much!"

A bit harsh, perhaps, but sometimes that was the only way to deal with Sues…or Stus, for that matter.

The tears in Archie's sky-blue eyes would have made a Corsair Rat break down and weep. The frustration of keeping her own sympathy in check made Kimber want to slap him.

"Kimber, please reconsider. I don't want to hurt you. You were a dear friend to me, even when I was imperfect and misguided. I only want to make you better, to make you what you could be."

"Well, confound it, Arch, I don't want to hurt you either, but if you don't quit off, I'll have to try." Kimber readied herself to run away. Arch seemed to be only a minor Stu, but risking a fight with him, when she was already reluctant to destroy the monster he'd become, would not be wise.

He moved.

Kimber was expecting the golden sword to come sweeping out, but instead of a flash of oversized metal, Archie's paws closed around her own sword arm. Screaming, she struggled, both against his too-strong grip and against the rising wave of Sue-ishness battering against the shield her potion held before her.

It stopped battering and began to slowly slide about her, invisible except in her mind's eyes, completely at odds with the physical struggle outside. Kimber was aware of losing her sword even as she was aware that the Sue-ishness had begun subtler tactics to turn her.

_You are so weak,_ it whispered as her shield was torn from her paw. _Let us in, and you will be strong!_

_You are so plain._ Something dredged up memories, pictures of herself in pools and in polished metal. Features were exaggerated—her ears lengthened, her eyes dulled, her fur made more dingy by the Sue-ness. _We can make you beautiful._ The pictures changed. Instead of a drab hare maid there was a tall, slender, queenly figure, dressed in glistening silver steel and jewels, wielding powerful weapons and winning every fight she fought. _Let us in!_

_No,_ Kimber replied desperately. _That is what I fight against. Don't make me into that, please!_

_And what of the one you call Archibald, the one now named Strongheart? _A certain slyness crept into the feeling's tone. _You were friends once. Do you think he could be a friend to one so plain, so weak, so against him and his kind? Let us in, and your friendship shall be renewed._

"No," Kimber cried. "No!" She weakened. The Sue-ness was washing up against her shields again, and they were thinning slowly.

Then the pressure suddenly ended, though Kimber was unsure exactly how. Perhaps she had fallen? She did feel lighter…

All feeling was washed away as the young hare maid fell unconscious.

* * *

(EN [Eruravenne's Note: Hehehehehe…did Kimber fall? If so, is there any hope for her? If not, why? I leave you to ponder this in agony…) 

(SN [storiewriter's Note: She's evil. Don't blame me for this one. Completely hers, she has this…mind set. Totally unique. Not in a good way, either.)


	4. Silver and Gold

_**(EN**_**: I am somewhat unhappy with my part of this chapter. It just doesn't feel like it flows quite right, and the new character has a difficult…er…character to work with. Add to that my muse being drowsy, and, well…**

**All the same, enjoy what you can. Perhaps I am just being my own worst critic here.**

**Oh, and be sure to read through the chapter. At the bottom we have something special for Christmas announced, though it does depend on the readers reviewing this.)**

**(_S/N:_ BECAUSE she doesn't do the disclaimers and stuff like answering the reviews, here you go:**

**_I solemly swear that anything that is mentioned in any of the Redwall books that is mentioned here is the property of Mr. Brian Jacques. The concept/world of Mossflower is also his. The characters are either mine or Eruravenne's. So, if you want to use them, we like disclaimers in our name too, and we like to have people ask to use them instead of stealing them. Thank you._**

**Sorry for the rant. Couldn't help it.**

**Anyway...**

**warrior4: Thank you! We appreciate flattery. **

**Ladyofthebookworms: Never fear! Or should you... you'll find out. She isn't that mean. I think... **

**Keliah: I'm glad you realize that. Good. Now, to most of your questions, there is an answer in the text below. Suzume is a fox, don't worry.**

**LittlePhsycoWolf: I'm glad you like it. Sues are generally such evilness that writers can't help but to bash them...**

**Riverfox237: You haven't found one on Redwall? I advise you go to LittlePhsycoWolf and Keliah; they have a co-writing story as well. I haven't said what Eunomia was? Thought I did, but she's a stoat...no ferrets, they seem to be common for Sues. As for the killing part...Sues haven't been properly exploited yet. There may be a way...who knows.**

**Thank you all! I usually don't write these things, but oh well... read on. REMEMBER TO READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. Thank you. (exits)**

**

* * *

**

Something red swam in Kimber's vision, blurred and wavering. Kimber watched it, bemused, until a sudden pain shot through her stomach, neck, and head…

She turned on her side and was promptly sick. A pair of small, strong paws supported her, holding her head up and patting her shoulder. Muttered words washed through her mind, indistinct except for the soothing tone. At least the beast helping her was a friend.

_Friend,_ her mind remembered suddenly. _Archie_.

_Oh, Badgers, have I turned?_

Even as the thought came, Kimber dismissed it. No sue would ever do something as vulgar as lose her breakfast, even involuntarily, and she still had in her that same drive to rid Mossflower of the beasts. She was safe.

The nausea passed as quickly as it had come on, leaving Kimber laying on the ground, eyes shut tight, grimacing at the taste and scent of her sickness. The paws lifted her head again and something damp touched her mouth.

"Here," said the voice, "swallow this."

Plain water fell into Kimber's mouth, and she sucked at it greedily. The water bag was taken away and replaced with a hard shell filled with a more bitter liquid. She recognized the taste of the safety potion that every Sue Slayer carried to avoid being turned too easily.

Kimber finally cracked her eyes open and waited for them to adjust to the Golden Sunlight, which was brighter than it had been earlier. The sun must have moved to the highest point of the sky in the time she was unconscious, then.

The red thing moved into her vision again, and this time Kimber recognized the rusty fur of a squirrel.

"You all right, then?"

"Y-yeah," Kimber coughed and swallowed to get rid of the tightness in her throat. "I'm fine. Thanks, er…"

"Rowan."

"Right."

The squirrel helped Kimber lean against a tree and sat down in front of her, tapping his foreclaws against each other before his muzzle. Kimber took the opportunity to better study her rescuer. He was average in size for a squirrel, with a nasty looking scar across the side of his face, just under one eye. This mark drew Kimber's gaze like honey drew bees; she had trouble looking away. Trying not to imagine what could have caused such a ragged cut was equally as hard.

The squirrel wore a dark grey-green tunic, mottled from a bad dye job, and a cloak of the same material. The only weapons she could see on him were two plain knives at one hip and a short sword at the other. No ornamentation could be seen.

"So." He finally said, breaking the silence. "A novice Slayer, eh?"

Kimber nodded, remembering her own sword and shield. She couldn't see them anywhere in the clearing.

"I saw and heard all of that commotion here earlier. That hare a friend of yours?"

"Er, yes. He used to be, anyhow. Did you…?"

"Aye, I killed him. And buried him, too. Didn't think it would've been a nice thing to wake up and see, that."

Kimber shook her head. The last thing she wanted to see was her friend, dead as though he had never been—not himself. At least she hadn't been the one to do it.

"Well, thank you, I owe you—"

"You were terrible."

"What?"

"You were terrible. In that fight back there. You should have fought the Stu, even it used to be a friend. If a fellow sue Slayer hadn't been nearby you would have turned. In fact, you very nearly did."

Kimber stared at the squirrel in disbelief. He gestured at her, telling her to look at her fur. The hare maid glanced down quickly.

"_Wot th' blazin'--?"_

Her fur, once dingy grey and brown, had taken on the oddest silver sheen she had ever seen, as though every hair in her pelt had gotten the thinnest layer of paint over it by accident. Kimber scrubbed a paw over one arm—the fur only rippled under the pressure. None of that awful color went away. Kimber looked around desperately, straining her ears for the sound of running water.

"It won't be coming off for a while. I'd give it a good week, depending."

The hare whirled on Rowan, who was leaning very casually against a gold-barked tree. "Depending on what?" she snapped.

"How careful you are around sues, that's what. If you let another incident come about like that one back there, the condition will probably get worse. If you manage to mostly steer clear of it, I think you'll be back to your normal coloring in a few weeks...mostly. Thing is, Gilding tends to stick around, even if it's only a tint."

"Gilding?"

"You don't know what Gilding is? What did those buffoons in Salamandastron do, slap a sword in your paw and throw you out the mountain after Sues?"

"What do you mean by buffoons?" Kimber's temper rose faster and stronger than usual. Rowan looked a little nervous for a moment.

"Pull it in, Novice. Pull back your anger, don't let it out! It could turn you, be careful!"

Kimber made an effort and at least partially succeeded. She spoke without screaming, at least.

"What. Is. Gilding."

"Gilding occurs when a Sue or Stu attempts the turning of a Slayer and succeeds only in part. Turning works from the outside in—fur comes first, and eyes and other outward features. Armor, clothing, and weapons usually follow, and then the Sue gets into the beast's inside, the mind, soul, and heart of it. If the Sue can be stopped partway through the turning, it's called Gilding: the outside of the victim has become Sue-ified, but the inside is still whole. It can wear off, but while Gilded a beast is a little more vulnerable to turning powers, even with the potion to help it…Honestly, I would've expected them to train you all a little better than that."

The forest fell silent after Rowan finished speaking. Kimber blinked twice, still trying to work out just what he said—it was all delivered in a rapid speech, with a lecturing cadence that usually could put the hare maid to sleep within ten minutes.

"By the way, I don't seem to know your name yet, Novice."

"Kimber." Her reply was automatic; Kimber's brain was still working through Rowan's speech. "How far do you suppose the Gilding got?"

"Hm? In you? Well, it got your fur and eyes, and I do think you'll find that tunic of yours just a little stronger than it used to be—no, not metal, but close enough. Impossibly tough threads, those are. And I do think you got a touch inside, right around the emotional area of your self. Watch that anger, mind, it'll be a tad strong for a while."

"And my sword? My shield?"

"Erm, yes, about those…" Rowan actually appeared uncomfortable. "Well, on the bright side they're a good bit tougher. Harder to wear down. Not oversized, at least—good thing since the Sueness didn't reach your physical strength…"

"The dim side?" Kimber slouched against the tree bole dejectedly. She may as well know the worst.

"You already resemble a Sue. Carry these around, and every Slayer you pass will probably get set to stab you."

The squirrel reached down and pulled a glittering sword from around the side of the tree. Kimber stared in numb disbelief at her once beloved blade. It hadn't grown any larger or heavier than before, but the plain steel blade shone like polished silver and had been etched with fanciful designs all down its length. Diamonds and carved pieces of jet were set into the hilt and pommel, catching the Sue-light of the clearing eerily. The shield was much the same—a similar size as before, but silver instead of wood and inlaid with black and white gems.

"Oh, no. No. Those can't—they couldn't—I don't want—No!"

"I don't have any other weapon to give you. If you really want to die or be turned, go on. Leave the sword. Go unarmed. Slayers will think you are a Sue, Sues will know you are not. Both sides against you; the odds won't be good there."

Kimber fought with herself. One part of her didn't want to touch the glittering things. Another part only saw them as tools to keep her from death for just a little longer. Both sides had valid points.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll carry them. But only until I can get new ones."

"The weapons are also Gilded," Rowan stated as he handed them over. "It will wear off in time."

"I hope so. They've been pretty good in fights before; I'd hate to have to abandon them just because some Stu got too close."

"So where will you go now?"

Kimber pondered the question for a few moments.

"Well, for one thing, I came looking for…for Arch…because I dreamed about some Sue in the woods this morning and needed backup. She's a Death Talker, and has some kind of healing power that turns creatures into Sues. I might go and hunt her down since I'm probably the only Slayer close enough now."

"I'm coming with you, then."

"You're _what?"_

"Coming with you. To kill the Death Talker."

"Why?"

"You said yourself you needed backup. You've got a lot to learn about dealing with Sues. I could teach you a bit out here—goodness knows you need it. I also intend to stick around in case I can prevent your turning further. Last thing Salamandastron needs is to lose a Novice and gain another enemy."

"Okay, you can come." Not that Kimber thought she could stop the squirrel. He had a look about him that spoke of hard battles and survival. A Novice couldn't win against experience like that. Rowan leapt to his feet, flicked his tail twice, and flipped a knife into his paw, saluting with it.

"Right, then, point the way!"

* * *

Eunomia Rosepetaleye was flitting among the forest, with no discernable destination. She sang sweetly, and jewel-like butterflies fluttered near her, landing on her nose at times, causing her to laugh, a silvery, clear-ringing bell-like laugh. Butterflies, normal butterflies, stood no chance as their features were exaggerated into horrendous beauty. Birds of glossy, colorful feathers and with shining beaks twittered along with her, their eyes, like jewels in themselves, glittering fondly as they watched her go her way. It was, in short, a horribly, hyperbole-ed Sue-dripping day. 

Everything was light, and airy and happy, and the shadows themselves seemed merry as they were passed by her beautiful self. She carried no weapons, a perfect picture of peace to other Sues. With each few butterflies turned, though, her song became ever-so-slightly sweeter and higher.

Her song summoned other creatures of Sue-drenched likeness. Worms, a beautiful pink and not slimy at all, traveled in her wake, never getting dirty, never getting a speck of dust on their dry-yet-wet skin. Caterpillars munched daintily on leaves, making sure that they didn't kill the Sue-barked tree in the process. Mosquitoes of dainty, thin proportions buzzed lazily along, and their usual whiney drone had been replaced with a melodic tone, beautifully going along with Eunomia's own song.

Soon, other Sues were drawn to her beauteous voice, and began to sing along with her, making the relatively medium-to-large range around her swell to a huge area, in the form of a perfect circle. Beasts began to turn Sue, but stopped themselves just in time, clogging their ears to block out the beautifully hideous, wordless song. Her Talk-Sue abilities were getting stronger, as her Singing ability was evolving into a more intricate weave.

The song finished, and the Sues drifted off in happy chatter, and she floated 'long her way, more joyously than any normal beast could be. She hummed a few snatches to herself even though they didn't have any power behind them; they were pretty, and that was all that mattered.

She stepped over a bush with emerald-green, sparkling leaves, and onto an argument that was just heating up.

"No! He wants to be with _me_!"

"No, he wants to be with **me**!"

"Why would he want to be with you, you creature with a twisted heart?" The slender ferretmaid had silky, black fur, and her eyes were turning from a calm, deep blue to an enraged red.

"What! Look who's talking, thou with the dirty fur!"

"If my fur is dirty, I wouldn't be able to come up with a horrid enough name for the dirt in _your_ fur!"

A male ferret was lounging against a tree, watching the ferretmaids go at it verbally with an amused expression. Eunomia stopped, and waited for the Sues to break up; never would her kind do such a horrendous thing as fight, would they?

"That is going too far!"

"Really, Stalliana? Take this!" the black ferretmaid struck the gorgeously violet-furred one, and her deep purple eyes turned to a dark, hazy black.

She gasped. "Jirananielaven! That is not kind! To use my short name as well! It is Stalliana Duskskypelt, for your information!" She whipped out a huge golden sword, a basic trademark of all Sue-swordsbeasts. It wasn't as long or as elaborately decorated as Eunomia's was, but it was well taken care of-not that it took that much effort.

"You! Talk about using short names! _My_ full name is Jirananielaven Alastariana Starlitnightskysoul!" With that, she whipped out her sword; a silver one bigger and more elaborately decorated. Unlike most Sue-Swords, this one was thin and whippy, but sharp, and should've weighed far too much for her to even lift the hilt a centimeter off the earth.

They went into a duel before Eunomia could stop them, and, deciding that this would be good practice for both, leaned back next to the ferret Stu.

"Aren't they such beauteous wonders? Both of astounding splendor; I could not pick and break either heart, though I may only have one mate. The one who is overridden will find a lovely mate all the same, even though the winner won."

"Such horrible fate for them to fight; we creatures of salvation care for those who do not have such a kind life as that which we lead now need to be peaceable with each other."

Jirananielaven was winning. She had far more experience, and, even though Stalliana was giving her best, she was slowly losing.

Eunomia thought as much. Jirananielaven had a longer sword, a longer name, and had, now that she looked closely, more inner sparkle coming out of her jewels. They wouldn't have managed to beat Eunomia, though. She was too powerful for either; they seemed to be new Sues.

The mouse she had turned was given a longer name, for he showed much promise as a Creature of Salvation. He still needed to get his powers, and coax them into better weave. She wondered how he was doing now. No doubt, he was getting more powerful by the second. Mice, squirrels, ferrets, and foxes were just that way.

Finally, Stalliana threw down her sword and knelt at the paws of Jirananielaven, crying out loud, "Thou has bested me in our duel. Thou art free of any restraint from me to be with the pure heart of whom we have dueled for. I wish thou many blessings, and may thine life be kinder in the future than in the past."

Jirananielaven spoke in the formal tone as well. "Rise up, mine opponent, and be free to find one other mate for thineself. I wish thou many blessings, from the beauteous stars above our humble selves to the rich, kind earth beneath our paws, and hope that thine life be kinder in the future than in the past."

They bowed to each other (Stalliana seemed to have suddenly gotten up very quickly) and took off in their separate directions.

All was once more peaceful in the forest, and, for once, Eunomia decided to sing identifiable words.

"From the beauteous lake,

To the beauteous sun,

And the beauteous sky,

To the beauteous earth,

I'll seek,

And I'll seek,

And I'll seek,

Until I shall find thou,

My true love.

From the wonderous river,

To the wonderous forest,

And the wonderous sand dunes,

To the wonderous beaches,

I'll roam,

And I'll roam,

And I'll roam,

Until I find thou,

Light of my life.

From the ends of the earth,

To the limits of the sky,

And the deepest down in ground,

To the lands in between,

I'll wander,

And wander,

And wander,

Until I find thou,

Brightest star in the sky.

I'll seek 'till I'm gone,

I'll roam 'till I drop,

And I'll wander,

I'll wander,

Wander,

'Till thou and I,

Are metest agiain!"

She made the slightly short song long and drawn out and impossibly, horribly, stunningly, beautifully made each not pronounced, which was all the worse for those poor beasts nearby.

She climbed a hill daintily, and, with gold-gilded, flower-ridden grass stalks blowing in a nonexistent breeze waving around her, she saw the sight she had waited so long to see.

"Redwall!

"So far, so near!

"I shall hurry!"

And so she did, walking at an unfeasible speed, towards her final destination where all Sues were being drawn in an attempt to free kind, poor souls from their prisons in dirt and filth.

It was time for freedom to ring like a joyous steeple bell in the minds of those unfortunate beings.

It was time to free the so-called 'Sue-slayers' from their prisons of opinionated ideas that Sues were ruining Mossflower.

It was time for action.

* * *

**_S/N:_ Well, here's the announcment Eruravenne was talking about; **

What is the common name for _Lutra Lutra?_

The first person to answer this question correctly in a review will win a prize: Their alter ego or character gets a short scene in the next chapter, they get to choose what that character is, and, in part, what it does in that scene. Another Sue, turning helpless beasts? Got it. A hapless woodlander (or vermin) giving directions? Okay. A Sue Slayer that gets to take out one of the minor Sues shown so far? That works.

**Eruravenne (or I, it depends on who gets to write the scene) will need the description and attitude of this character or Alter Ego. The minor Sues being taken out is because of how few major Sues have been introduced, and they have their own deaths coming in the story.**

**Alright, I HATED writing that sappy, gooy (makes a face and tries to run off, but can't, seeing as she has to stay here and write this note)...stuff. Had to make it longer, though. NEVER want to write that again, but I must, for this is a Sue-serious parody, and Sues do this kind of thing. Luckily, they prefer the unintelligible worded songs. Very, very scary...**

**Thank you all for the support and reviews, even if they do slightly scare Eruravenne. She's not used to the writing side of Fanfiction yet.**

**On with the race!**


	5. Small Victories

S/N: I know, I know, we were _supposed_ to update on Christmas, but my muse decided to take a break, and all I recieved for the beginning was _Karen doing something_. Until last night.

Yes, our winner was **Shoman**!!!

He is Sargon in this story.

Not the longest, I know. Have to do the reviews quickly...

**Riverfox237**: No, sadly, Kimber will not be able to sneak up on the Sues; they know she's not a Sue, and the woodlanders think she's a Sue. Kimber now hates Eruravenne.

**And all the rest of you...**: Thank you SO much! We likes the praises, yessss...

The rant is finally over! Here you go!

* * *

Karen stalked the smell silently and slowly, keeping in mind that one rule; _Don't rush into battle_.

Then again, there was _Don't go looking for trouble_, but she disregarded it. No harm in doing so, she thought. Seriously, if you didn't go looking for trouble and have a good defense at the ready, trouble would find _you_ and you wouldn't be as well prepared.

That scent clogged her mind with golden bells and birds joyfully twittering, giving an air of 'all is well, all is peaceful, all is good and normal…'. But who was that kidding? When there were Sues around, you knew (unless you were a Sue yourself) that things weren't even _close_ to being normal.

It grew stronger with every step, and she was near gagging in a short amount of time. Suddenly, there was a wailing voice up ahead.

"Oh, dear sir, why do you wave that sword at me? I have had a horrid enough day, and do not wish for a perfectly good gentlebeast attempting to strike me down with that horrendous weapon of dull steel! Should break my heart, it should!"

An exasperated tone took over the Sue-sound. "Ach, ferretmaid, must you be so _noisy_ an' revoltingly sappy?"

The shrewmaid dove behind a bush, and looked through the tightly woven branches, her nose close to the stems. Immediately, flowers began to bloom, releasing sweet-smelling pollen into the air, causing Karen to plug her nose in order to keep her mind sane.

A dull-red-furred squirrel was facing the beautifully violet-furred ferretmaid with annoyance written in bold letters on his face. The ferretmaid had impossibly large, strangely silvery tears slipping out of huge, lilac-colored eyes that were tinged with blue, and sliding down her muzzle in long, elegant streaks, and she towered over the average-built creature.

"I am very sad at the moment, my dear sir! I have been bested in battle for the handsome ferret, Halosho Welleminost Locklilomon Faironeofextremegorgeousness!"

The squirrel put a claw in the ear closest to the ferretmaid. "Bit of a blooming long name, don't you say, Purple-eyes?"

She stomped her paw. "My name is **not** 'Purple-eyes' or 'ferretmaid'! It's Stalliana Duskskypelt!"

"Well, then, 'Stalliana Dusk-whatever-it-is, why don't you take your pretty little self over there and take him back?" His paw readied the simple dirk he held out in a threatening gesture.

"Because she _beat_ me! And now I can't take him for my mate! I have to go find one of less beauty and less fairness than my beautiful Halosho Welleminost Locklilomon Faironeofextremegorgeousness!" More tears trickled out of her now darker-lilac eyes.

"Is he your so called 'soul mate'?"

"Yes! A ferretmaid came to me in a dream one time, a beautiful ferretmaid in these long, billowing clothes that were adorned tastefully with beautiful, sparkling gems, and said that I must seek out the beautiful Halosho Welleminost Locklilomon Faironeofextremegorgeousness to fulfill my prophecy!"

"And what is that?"

"_From northern skies of brilliant blue to southern grasslands covered in beautiful dew, thou will reign over star-kissed nights and rule over days filled with golden light. Thou will be ruler of all, over peace and kindness and will have all enthralled, by thine beauteous beauty and thine rigid duty, for all creatures of great or small will be treated the same, when darkness falls. If thou finds thy soul mate, this shall be thou good fate, but if one takes him from thou, rejected be this vow._

"Do you not see? Now all hope is lost!" She fell down in sorrow just as the squirrel threw his dirk at her, and it whizzed past to bury itself into a silver-barked tree.

As she sobbed, the squirrel could do nothing but stare longingly in the direction of his weapon, which he released at an untimely moment.

_Never throw away your weapons_. Karen snickered silently, but she felt a bit sorry for the squirrel.

Suddenly, the ferretmaid perked up. "I know! I will save you from that shell of dirt and dark past leashed so you may be happy, even though I am not at this moment!" She pulled out the standard Sue-sword and walked towards him.

"I assure you, good creature, I'm good like I am at this very moment! You don't need to turn be into one of your kind! No, don't want to be one of your blooming, beautiful kind!" He stepped back a little, paws out, palms flat, like he was trying to signal her to stop.

All amusement at the loss of his weapon vanished as she saw him back up against the tree, cornered, as Stalliana advanced, her eyes now a deep-purple with many streaks of lilac dashing to and fro. It was dizzying to look at, and Karen decided to throw herself into the fray.

In a matter of seconds, her rapier was under Stalliana's arms, at her chest, and plunged into her heart. The ferretmaid, quick as her Sue-spirit enabled her to be, was not quick enough.

Karen took her sword out of the ferretmaid who had turned dull the moment she died, and wiped the sparkling blood on the grass. She turned to the squirrel.

"Karen Woodleaf. You?"

The squirrel sighed in relief, and held out his paw. "Sargon Harrow, at your service."

She took his paw, and shook. "How long out of training?"

He disengaged his paw, and walked over to the tree. "A couple of seasons, not much. Three Sues, this'd be my fourth. You?"

"A few days. Second Sue; there seem to be far too many nowadays."

"Ach, you can say that again." Sargon had finally freed his dirk, and was now examining it. "They outnumber us ten to one, I think."

"Where you trained?"

"Where else? Salamandastron."

"Where else?" She echoed. Weren't there others?

"All the other resistances are gone now, you know? Redwall was the first, I think, to go."

She snorted. "No kidding. With it's history, it was dead before it dropped."

He nodded, sheathing his dirk. "Well, now, I'd better go now. Reporting to the ol' Badger Lord; they need the numbers now."

Karen slapped him on the back. "Watch your step, will you? Don't throw the dirk."

"It's worked every time afore, but after today, I'm going to think twice 'bout that." He shook her paw once more, and headed off.

She shook her head. They sure did need the numbers…she'd ask any woodlander old enough. They needed more recruits, and more training more than almost anything else in the world. A miracle would do.

Karen set off once more to find a Sue-less place where she could camp safely for the night that was rapidly approaching, the sun sinking below the horizon in a magnificent display of tints and shades of warm colors, exploding out in one last attempt to stay in the sky.

* * *

Kimber found that crouching in a tree became very uncomfortable, very quickly. Rowan, of course, didn't mind a bit. Being the senior, veteran Slayer of the two he had devised the plan and chosen their ambush point. Because he was a squirrel, a key part of the ambush involved waiting in a tree. Kimber made a childish face in his direction. He didn't notice; all of his attention was fixed on the path below (which was oddly cobbled with shiny river stones and precious gems). With a little shake, Kimber also focused her eyes on the ground below, waiting and trying to ignore the steadily increasing tingle in her paws and ears.

Something dark and tipped in silver flashed in Kimber's mind, with a streak of lurid color following. They were close. Kimber flicked her ears in the prearranged pattern, and Rowan raised a paw in acknowledgement.

Now, alongside the tingling of her Sue-Sense, Kimber felt the first twinges of nervousness. Her stomach seemed to have vanished. Her head pounded in time with her heart. Kimber wondered suddenly if the beating could be audible; it certainly seemed loud enough to her. Swallowing against a suddenly dry throat, the haremaid kept her eyes on the path.

Then something like the night sky incarnate, followed by a splash of color from a sunset, slipped along the path toward them. She didn't look up or around; her gaze seemed fixed straight ahead, forward on the path. Even the snake didn't take the time to taste the air like most snakes would.

Kimber gripped her sword tighter and readied herself for the leap. Keeping both snake and squirrel in view was difficult, but she managed.

Rowan's tail raised. Steady…ready…

It dropped. Kimber followed.

She never remembered what immediately followed; everything was encased in darkness. All Kimber could ever recall from that day on of that moment was looking down to see a snake, an ordinary, dusty-brown rattlesnake, half-beheaded by her sword. Numb, Kimber shook the carcass off and turned to see how Rowan was doing.

The ottermaid was alive and fighting. Kimber could see bright, bright red blood (_red as a rose_, was the Sue-y description that Kimber had to shake out of her head) welling from a scratch in her arm, so she had obviously been surprised by Rowan's jumping attack, but it wasn't enough. In classic Sue speed the otter had gotten her sword out and was now fighting Rowan to the end.

As for the squirrel, he was still alive, still battling, but doing rather badly. He was tiring; slowly, yes, but still tiring, while the Sue remained fresh and strong. Rowan was skilled, but once Kimber saw the Sue avoid a truly superb sword-sweep on his part by performing a triple back-flip over his head she knew that the Slayer was in deep water.

And strangely, the Sue hadn't noticed her yet. She had expected to be drawn into the combat somehow; the Sue ignored her. Of course, so had Rowan, but that was only to be expected from him. He knew he had to reserve all of his strength and attention for the fight. The Sue didn't.

Kimber had an idea.

She hauled herself up another tree with a fair amount of speed compared to the first time she'd tried. Positioning herself carefully on a low limb, Kimber waited for the duel to circle the clearing again. It was coming. Closer. Closer…just a little more.

A terrible clang sounded, and the fight stopped just before the tree next to Kimber's. She started; Rowan was on the ground, clutching one paw and hissing through his front teeth. His sword lay several yards distant.

"Ah, you poor, misguided soul," the Sue said. Kimber felt her fur stand on end. "I would not kill you. Here; I have a healing power."

Kimber didn't think she could do it, but as the otter Sue stretched a paw toward the supine Rowan, Kimber closed her eyes and jumped anyway. The jarring thump of her sword making contact with something surprised her enough to look; all she saw was the nastily sparkling fur rushing toward her face. She landed flat on the ottermaid, her sword stuck deep in the Sue's back. Kimber dropped the sword and stumbled away quickly, scrubbing frantically at the too-red Sue blood on her fur.

The Sue didn't die quickly, as she should have. It took her several seconds just to fall to her knees in shock, and several more to lay down, her flowing silver tunic splayed out around her, paws spread out on the ground. Kimber thought that she was putting far too much effort into dying in a picturesque manner.

"Oh, Worthy opponents! Thou hast bested me…" Kimber felt a headache coming on. The Sue was dying (she hoped) but the Death-Talking ability seemed to linger in her. The ottermaid tried to say something else, but fell back with a sigh. Her lovely turquoise-purple eyes dimmed and closed. She looked so much like she was sleeping that Rowan, who had reclaimed his sword in that time, made sure she was dead by sticking his blade through her heart again.

Satisfied that their enemy could not be tricking them, Rowan and Kimber shook paws.

"You were amazing," Kimber said. "Thanks for helping me."

"Good idea with the tree," Rowan replied. "Glad you were along."

"I, uh, was just wondering…could I, maybe, travel with you? You could teach me some stuff about Sues, and we could watch each others' backs."

Rowan considered it for a few moments. "It does make some sense. All right, but you have to agree to do what I tell you concerning Sues and fighting them. Last thing I need is to track down and rescue some disobedient apprentice all the time."

"Deal." Kimber shook Rowan's paw more firmly, then let go. "Where to now, sir?"

"Running water, first of all. I think I want a good cleaning. Then, who knows?"

Grinning, the two Slayers marched away, off the path and through the forest. Silence fell in the clearing, and the body of Hanako Nanami Slena Pallas Sparklystar turned to silver mist and drifted away.


	6. A Spirit of Advice

**Alright, you guys! Here's our next installment, but, before (raises her voice to cover the exasperated groans of readers) we start, we need- well, I want to- to answer questions, give thanks, and all that exciting kaboodle.(looks at Eruravenne pointedly)**

_Right, then...(Eruravenne whips out a sheet of paper) Thanks to ladyofthebookworms, warrior4, Riverfox237, Kelaiah, DC, and shoman for the reviews in the previous chapter. An extra thank-you to Riverfox for the 'food'. (Flicks a popcorn shrimp towards her Muse, who catches the softball-sized [to her snack and waves, grinning widely)_

**(The squirrel continues) Riverfox237… you're on the right track. She's a genius and has this all planned out. Warrior4, you are completely correct. There is no way that they're going to be easily taken over, and it's going to be tough. To write, it's going to be tough, and I've already had to bar the gate into here to avoid letting the characters wreak havoc upon us… And shoman's character was fun to write. We may be seeing more of Sargon if he lets us use him. Sorry for the embarrassment, but it had to happen. I was going to do an accent but…let's just say it wouldn't work out. (shivers slightly) Handing it back over to Eruravenne…(clenches paw in annoyance as she is poked insistently, over and over.)**

_(Eruravenne pulls her muse out of the squirrel's reach) No poking, 'Ramar. It's not polite. _

_Anyhow, back to review responses. I get to talk to Kelaiah!_

_Okay, first of all, there's something you need to understand about Gilding. It's dangerous. Sure, Kimber looks like a Sue and still has her own mind, but she's teetering on the brink there. If another Sue or Stu even starts to turn her, BAM! She's a goner. Archie's turning was taking some time because it had to fight off the potion and then spread through Kimber. It was stopped halfway. This means that another Sue could turn her the rest of the way in comparatively little time. That's an extreme danger, and not one many Gildeds get out of. Kimber was lucky._

_And yeah, it was originally a 'Kill that Sue' agreement. The fight showed Rowan and Kimber a potential advantage in travelling together._

**Oh… (the squirrel seems to droop as she looks at Eruravenne) As for DC… no comment.**

**(Rubs her han…paws together suddenly.) After a little over a page of As/N's, I have deemed it the right time for you to read. Now go! What're you waiting for? Oh, yeah...forgot...one more thing:**

(As/N: Thought we might like to warn you of this ahead of time to prevent preliminary confusion: a time jump forward in several (four to five) months has taken place. Past occasions will be hinted at but not entirely described because they may not be entirely relevant to moving the plot along quickly.)

* * *

The sun rose pink and beautiful over the jewel-bright Redwall Abbey. Delicate clouds hung in the sky, casting faint shadows like moonlight below. The trees swished a lovely harmony in the wind. Birds with sparkling plumage sang and twittered in utter joy.

And inside Redwall, a certain mouse warrior was cooing dove-eyed over his lovely mate: Dylis Arianrhod Meinir Mórríghan Heledd Rhonwen Roseblossom Maeve Astraea Silvershiningfurduskeyes. She was wonderful! Her luminous fur like the moon, her queenliness, her royal lineage, her dark-light-black-silver-blue-pink-tawny-violet-emerald eyes! She was a warrior like him, but a gentler spirit he had never known. When his Rose had died, she comforted him, loved him, brought him back from darkness. And so he fell inevitably in love with her…

Martin, the great warrior of Redwall Abbey, recited sappy poetry beneath a spreading tree to a giggling, blushing, doe-eyed sue.

Not far from this pair, Deyna, the Taggerung, laid his head in the lap of a beautiful ottermaid, with lusterous fur more beautiful than the softly shining sun above him, letting her soft, delicate claws comb through his headfur lovingly. Oh, there was never a more beautiful maid than Aoibhín Clio Gráinne Bébinn Niamh Neve Muireann Derval Guinevere Osuchlovelybeauteousfuroflight! Her songs were trilled lighter and sweeter than any songbird's, and her eyes…such eyes! A beautiful, soft mix of pastel greens and hazel browns, and there was even a little bit of fuchsia around the rim of her pupil. And her past was so much like his! He was lost in a daze, idly wondering how he was so lucky an otter, to be raised in such darkness yet escape into such bright light.

This is what Redwall had become. The Sues came, they saw, and they conquered by dazzling their targets and turning them into simpering, love-struck, puppy-eyed idiots unable to lift a weapon except in their loves' defense and unable to think a single bad thought about the Sues. Over there, a Sue-vixen and a Marlfox, Mokkan by the looks of it, were crooning songs about beautiful foxes and mornings and sunshine and birdies and rainbows. Here, a Stu-squirrel and Song sat in a tree eating walnuts and laughing at jokes. All the great warriors of Redwall Abbey existed there, out of their times and dazzled by the vile creatures that had taken over.

What was left of Martin's spirit watched the physical form of himself kiss the mouse maid, and he felt slightly abashed at himself. His Redwall, his beloved Abbey, had been taken over by unnatural forces of evil, and he loathed every single one of them. He sighed in a spirit-way, and told himself that it was lucky that…

No, he shouldn't. They always found a way to get into his mind, find out who he wished wasn't here. And then they would bring that creature back. Curse those Sues, curse them! If only they had never taken hold.

_Enough with the 'If onlies', _he told himself. _Think of something to override those two Fox-Sues before they take over Salamandastron!_

He felt sorry for them. He had overheard that fox with the long last name list off how many were now 'saved', not including the shells that the Redwall Heroes had become.

_Six-score…Probably more now, as it has been several weeks since that number._

The spirit watched his world, his wonderful Redwall, crumble around him from his home in the tapestry. What hurt him most was the fact that he could do nothing about it.

Unless…

If spirits had physical mouths, his would be smiling. He watched the Stu—a rat for once, though admittedly an over-handsome one—cross the Great Hall in his direction. A minor Stu.

How very fortunate.

The Stu never knew exactly what hit him…

* * *

The high, sorrowful wail rent the air, causing a momentary rift in the Sue-haze around them, and then it trailed out as the Sue-features vanished from the vole.

Karen sheathed her sword slowly, casting her eyes back and forth slowly as she searched for more Sues they needed to watch out for. _My eleventh Sue_, she thought, and then corrected herself. _Not eleventh, ninth. Rowan killed the last two, remember?_

Rowan, Karen, and Kimber met at Salamandastron just a couple of months previously. All had returned to report and rest at about the same time. Karen and Kimber had quickly become friends in that short stay. The hare maid soon convinced Karen of the advantages in Sue-hunting as part of a group, and the shrew became one of the team almost immediately.

"Camp now?" She asked Rowan, who was cleaning one of his daggers on the grass below. He continued wiping it methodically in silence, and Karen squashed down her impatience.

"Give it up, Karen. You know he won't budge or speak until his blades are clean; not after that incident with the Sue blood last month. You remember that one, I'm sure." Kimber grinned, but also made sure her blade was clean before sheathing it. The hare maid was dusty brown and grey once again and had recovered fully from her Gilding incident. The only lingering reminder of that was a faint silver sheen to her fur on nights with strong moonlight.

"Oh, I remember…" Karen felt herself drifting back in memory and shook herself mentally. _Constant danger nowadays, Karen, remember that_. She nodded to herself, and lounged against a thin poplar tree nearby, running her claws silently over the hilt of her sword.

Kimber, however, actually let herself drift back to the memory. "Oh, that Sue was a tough little beast! What was her name again? I could've sworn it began with an 'F'...Fonway…Fiongla…Fionnghuala! Of course. Squirrel, right? What a fight that was…"

Her reminiscing was cut off abruptly by an onset of tingling. Rowan felt it also, and flicked his tail in a rapid two-three pattern, signaling them all to hide immediately and wait for further signals.

Within seconds, a flowery scent that nearly choked Karen with its sweetness filled the air, causing it to seem even clearer if possible and make the slightly drooping trees straighten up, their leaves sparkling ever more so in the sunlight.

Suddenly a glorified rat marched grimly into view, bringing the flowery smell with it. In a tree above and across from Kimber and Karen, Rowan raised his tail, flicking it to either side twice, then up and down once. An ambush, with a pincer movement; Kimber approved. She and Karen would take either side of the rat, cornering it below Rowan. He would take it from above. The rat wouldn't know what hit him.

The rat stopped, and looked around, paw on the hilt of its sword while observing its environment.

Rowan gave the signal.

They charged, and soon the Stu was dead on the ground, all Sue-signs gone. But there was something odd rising out of his chest…a silver vapor of some sort.

Karen cocked her head at the figure beginning to form, and then recognition washed over her. Kimber's jaw dropped, and Rowan stopped short as he was about to slice the vapor in two, fearing a strange new Sue Ability.

Martin looked at them and immediately began to speak. "_They have more than six score at the moment, and the numbers are growing."_

"We know that much already, Warrior," Rowan replied, bowing as he was the first to get over the shock. "Please, you must have more to tell us?"

"_My time is short; I cannot venture far from Redwall in this state for long. Listen closely and carefully, as I will never be able to tell you these things again._

"_First, you must know now that every great Hero of Redwall is trapped there, enchanted by Sues. Bring them back to their senses and you shall have great allies. Even my physical body exists once more under that evil power._

"_Second, I give you this information: the Sues that turn back into 'normal' beasts at death were turned to Sues. These can be saved with the closing of the doors. The Sues that drift away are different; they came with the doors, and there is no redeeming them._

"_Third and last, return to Salamandastron immediately and give these words to those working on the counter-prophecies, as well as your leaders. They may be the difference between the survival of the real Mossflower and its permanent death:_

_Your paws now hold the key_

_The door is swinging shut_

_Return to the Great Abbey_

_When the shield is sharpest cut_

_From Bell Tower cry the tones_

_To waken foe and friend_

_Beware the glowing stones;_

_The vixen means to bring an end_

_Remember well this phrase_

_It holds your very lives:_

'_From you who seek to change our ways,_

_We sever all our ties.'"_

The spirit had begun to look a little ragged around the edges halfway through his advice; by the end of it, large flakes of his misty shape were flying away as though caught in a strong wind, though the three beasts around it felt nothing. The mouse Warrior raised a paw in salute, and then he was gone.


	7. Scattering

**S/N: Alright. Shorter than last time, I promise. The A/N's, at any rate.**

**Ladyofthebookworms****: Yes, it would be **_**far**_** too easy for him to tell them what to do and all…as much as we hate it, we have to give them stuff to figure out and puzzle over. So much fun.**

_Riverfox237__: Glad you liked the chapter! Yes, Queen of the Sues is a good way to put it. The vixen is pretty much in charge on account of being the most sue-ish of all sues. And as for Kimber's Gilding…it's not completely gone yet. That sort of thing lingers, though it is diminished now. More may come of it in time._

**Tetzel****: Yeah. I can understand that, but there's probably some rule that disallows Martin or any other from doing that. **

_Keliah__: That is strange. Interesting, but still strange. Maybe the Redwall situation was just a good idea…and as for Kimber and Karen, I couldn't work out how to fit their meeting into the story while keeping something like a flow. Perhaps something like you being unable to fit the "heroes stuck in Redwall" concept into your story._

**Warrior4****: Thank you! They're all there, only none as pronounced as Martin.**

_DC__: Love you too, mum. I told squeaks not to put 'no comment'…she didn't know what else to put._

**Shoman****: Don't worry, you'll be getting some sword action here.**

**And so, that's it! Enjoy.

* * *

**

"We march directly for Salamandastron." Rowan rapidly checked his blades, sliding each of them firmly and securely back into their sheaths. "No more talking than is necessary, and as few stops as we can manage. And each of us will remember that rhyme—we'll recite it to each other whenever we do rest."

"But what does it all _mean_?" Kimber moaned. "It's so confusing! Sharp shields and vixens and glowing stones…"

"We'll let the scholars at Salamandastron decide that."

"And what in the name of Guosim does that phrase mean? I can't even remember it!" Karen rubbed her temples, her head hurting with all the confusing nonsense.

They were still in the clearing; Karen now looked nervously around the edges of the space and to the sky. She didn't like it here, that was sure.

"Which one?" The haremaid was checking her sword, like Rowan.

"I told you I can't-"

A sudden burst of noise surrounded them: impossibly high, impossibly sweet, and with more trills than birdsong. It seemed to be singing, but the words were completely unintelligible. Kimber was immediately on the ground, clutching her ears, and Karen jumped three feet in fear. All of them could feel something inside shifting, swaying, fighting…

"RUN!"

Without conscious thought, Kimber obeyed; she was too used to following Rowan's orders to do otherwise in her state. Karen lingered a little longer, looking a little dazed, but she also snapped out of it and pelted away in a randomly chosen direction. Rowan fled through the trees, leaping from branch to branch in a frenzied state. In moments, all three slayers had scattered.

The singing in the clearing went on a moment longer, then stopped. A stoat maid stepped between the trees and cocked her head. In a voice still too high and sweet to be real, she said to herself, "I thought I heard somebeast here…" Nothing answered (the forest being too in awe of her beautiful singing to make any noise, or so she thought), so Eunomia just shrugged and went her way, humming merrily.

* * *

Karen's world was that of urgency and fright, the instinct to run as fast as she could away from the Sue. Branches whipped in her face, logs on the ground nearly tripped her, and there were so many trunks, all around, and she couldn't maneuver very well through them. She had to slow down to get through, and her heart was beating a drumroll as she fought to get away from this densely forested area.

Her lungs were aching, her legs were burning, and her heart hurt as she gasped for air every once in a while. The pounding of her heart was echoed in her mind as a booming afterthought, and _it_ hurt as well. _Everything _hurt.

Suddenly, she shot out of the woods and into a river, flying out over the water's edge, and, after a split second of being suspended in air, fell with a gigantic splash in the deep waterway. Crystallized droplets flew through the air and made a rainbow with the sun that lingered for a few seconds after the water had fallen.

Karen kicked up instinctually, her lungs screaming for air and her heart aching so much more now that she was underwater without enough oxygen. Suddenly, her head broke the surface of the water and she sucked in the air greedily, treading to keep afloat. Choking a little, she swam to the opposite bank and lay down, staring into the less-Sueified sky as she had been in the deeper reaches of the water, where there was still algae floating around, and imperfectness everywhere.

She stopped a little, and had realized that the water had cleared her mind, letting her have full access to the memory of the riddle.

She stood, and, realizing with a rational mind that she wouldn't be able to find the other two, recited it softly under her breath. Checking her sword, which she had forgotten in her plight, she set off to find out if there were any more Guosim that she could get help from to get to Salamandastron.

* * *

Rowan skipped through the trees so fast it was like flying. The paths made by branches twisted and turned until he wasn't sure which way he was going, or even how far he had gotten from that Sue song. In time, all he knew was that he had to stop.

He took a rest in an old oak tree, catching his breath and taking some water from the container at his side. Then he moved on.

Rowan knew perfectly well that his companions had scattered in that moment of panic. They could be in any direction, at any distance from him. He couldn't search the whole of Mossflower for two young Slayers who might not even be…themselves, still. And in that case, their best hope was for him to reach Salamandastron quickly.

Reminded of Martin's instructions, Rowan recited the poem to himself. He was pleased to find that he still retained it.

The Slayer stood and brushed bark from his fur, looking at the sky for direction. That morning he had been roughly north and east of Salamandastron, so now he ought to head…that way. Rowan did a smart turn and marched off along the branch. Due west would take him to the sea, and from there he would be able to sight Salamandastron quickly enough. He hopped from oak branch to a bendy young beech. Hanging there and waiting for the limb to stop quivering, Rowan happened to glance down at the forest floor.

His jaw dropped.

A pelt like the night sky was passing beneath him.

_No. It can't be!_

The Sue below stepped into stronger sunlight. Silver glistened in her fur, in her tunic, on her sword, alongside the blue flashes of sapphires.

_Kimber killed her, I made sure she was dead, it can't be!_

The Sue reached out one paw and laid it delicately on a dying fern. A silver flash, and the fern was green as emeralds, strong, and faintly glowing in the shadow of the oak.

_NO!_

Hanako Nanami Selena Pallas Sparklystar moved away softly under the trees. Torn, Rowan watched her go. It was his job to destroy every Sue he possibly could, a job he took very seriously. On the other hand, Martin had charged them with the task of taking that message to Salamandastron.

_The message is more important._

_The Sue could turn more—she is very strong._

_He would be turned if he tried to fight the Sue one-on-one; it would have happened last time if Kimber hadn't been there._

_Kimber might still be out there. If she came across this Sue, she wouldn't stand a chance. And if she saw this Sue, she'd surely attack it out of recognition. _

_Karen would help her._

_If they are together._

_The message is more important. The message must be taken to Salamandastron._

Rowan took a step in the direction Hanako had gone, paused, and turned once again to the west. He hurried off, though with less resolution than before.

* * *

Kimber didn't remember drawing her sword. She didn't remember much of that flight. The pounding in her head took all precedence at the time; her previous Gilding made it easier for the Sueness to get in than it would normally have been. All of her attention was focused inwards.

Until the squirrel stepped in front of her.

Kimber had a sudden vision of fiery red fur, eyes as green as summer leaves, and heard a melodious voice saying something. Then the hare maid's sword was flashing in an attack.

The squirrel countered. The gold sword she carried was longer than Kimber was tall, but somehow the petite Sue managed to wield it magnificently. And somehow Kimber had dodged it, avoided it, parried it without much thought.

Gold flashed downward. Kimber sidestepped and thrust. A line of silver was deflected by a twirl of the opponent's blade. Kimber hopped back, then suddenly forward again as the golden sword swept down to where she used to be. A thin red line was scored across the Sue's side. She screamed. The Suesword whistled through the air; Kimber ducked and spun with one hind paw out. The Sue fell. The golden sword was knocked aside by the silver.

Green eyes glistened. The Sue said something more, something probably poetic and perfect, but Kimber didn't hear it.

Silver fell.

The Sue gasped and curled up on her side, the brilliance of her fur fading away. In moments, a normal squirrel lay there. Dead.

'_These can be saved with the closing of the doors…'_

Kimber dropped her sword and fell against a tree, shaking uncontrollably. _The squirrel was turned Could have been saved Martin said can be saved Didn't have to die Didn't have to…_

Kimber cried under that tree until nightfall. When the stars came out, she finally stood and picked up her sword. Her paw moved as though to throw it away, but stopped and instead slid it into the ground. She then began the long process of digging a grave with a sword as a shovel.

At dawn, Kimber was no longer in that tiny glade. The only thing left there was a heap of freshly turned earth and a small dagger, once a magnificent golden sword, thrust into the grass at its head.

* * *

_(EN: Well, there's your swordfight. It should seem a little bit disjointed; Kimber's under a lot of stress with the fear and running and then this Sue popping up out of nowhere. And the ending is a little bit depressing; sorry about that. Kimber just realized exactly what Martin's words meant for her and the other Slayers.)_


	8. Renewal, Regression, and Return

_A new chapter! Sorry it's late; our fault entirely. We'll get through the Review replies quickly._

_First-off: sorry about misspelling your name, __Kelaiah__. I'll try not to forget again. And yes, they can be saved. You'll see more about those doors later; I'm not spoiling stuff by answering you here and now. It's an odd sort of fantasy element my muse supplied as a sort of hypothetical 'what if?'…Eh. You'll see._

**warrior4****, thank you! Well, kind of. It's only the born Sues that can come back, and that's in…well... Can't say anything else, unless Eruravenne permits it; my writer restrictions for this story have become tighter…**

_Clarification: "Pure" sues, like Hanako, can occasionally come back. It does indeed have something to do with the 'doors' that have Kelaiah so confuzzled._

_Ladyofthebookworms__: no, she didn't really want to be turned at all. But perhaps she's in a slightly better, more interesting place now. We don't really know what happens to residents of Mossflower after death, or the dynamics of Martin's spirit being in Redwall etc. I actually just came up with an interesting concept for all of that…explained later in the story._

**DC/storiewriter****: WHY did you have to get on THAT computer??? (Thinks for a moment, then remembers.) Oh. Try to avoid it please.**

**Alright, go on, read, you deserve if for the longer-than-usual-wait. And you can blame THAT on Eruravenne…she kept putting it off, you know. I only had to write 1/3 of this. I'm getting to write less with her…I rather think she's taking over. (Squirrel runs up a tree out of otter's reach, chattering franticly.)

* * *

**

"_O vermin if you dare, come and visit us someday,_

_Bring all your friends and weapons with you too._

_You'll find a good warm welcome, let nobeast living say_

_That cold steel was never good enough for you._

_You won't find poor helpless beasts all undefended,_

_Like the old ones, babes, and mothers that you've slain,_

_And you'll find that when your pleasant visit's ended,_

_You'll never ever leave our shores again._

_All you cowards of the land and you flotsam of the sea,_

_Who murder, pillage, loot whene'er you please,_

_There's a Long Patrol a waitin', we'll greet you cheerfully,_

_You'll hear us cry 'Eulalia' on the breeze…"_

Kimber paused in both song and march. "Uhmmm… what was that next verse? Oh, drat, it's been so long! Something about the bullies welcomed, and hares standing for…what was it…honor and right! Yes, that's it:

"'_Tis a welcome to the bullies who slay without a care,_

_All those good and peaceful creatures who can't fight,_

_But perilous and dangerous the beast they call the hare,_

_Who stands for nought but honor and the right…_"

The hare maid choked on those last few words, but forced them out anyhow. They were part of the song.

"_Eulalia! Eulalia! Come bring your vermin horde,_

_The Long Patrol awaits you, led by a Badger Lord!"_

Kimber marched to a halt in front of an unassuming hillock of grass and waited. The grass quivered, and a piece of the ground sung up and open like a door. The grey face of an old hare poked out and blinked at the young one.

"Y'still sing like a rusted-out teakettle, Kimberly, m'gel. C'mon in, then, wot wot! Step sharp!"

"Good to see you, too, Papa." She slid into the dark opening, and her pa shut the hidden door. He held up a bright lantern to reveal the uneven floor and walls of a rough tunnel. In single file, the two hares began to march (Pa limped more than marched) along down it.

"Not got'n rid o' that bally accent, eh? Still speakin' like some little Mossflower mouse-maid…where's your hare spirit, wot?"

Kimber smiled a little despite herself.

"And y'didn't even address me by my proper rank: bad form, Kim, bad form! In my day a young hare knew how t' speak to his military superiors."

Her smile twitched a bit higher at the corners. "Sorry, sir, won't happen again!"

He looked back suspiciously at his daughter. "You're cheekin' me, I know't. No respect! Still, I'll let it go this once—Badger Lords know they got too much on at the ol' mountain t' give recruits full drill and trainin'…"

The tunnel curved abruptly before them, opening just around that corner to a large cavern, well-lit with torches, candles, and lanterns. Very little furniture sat inside; only one wood table with five chairs around it, and a single wooden rack that supported a long spear and a silver dirk in proud display. Blankets, neatly folded and stacked, sat in one corner; cooking gear in another. Kimber could see the wood planks in the floor that covered the family's food storage. Two more hares, one far smaller than the other, were wearing aprons and kneading a flour-covered lump of dough. Both looked up when Pa and Kimber came in. The small one shrieked and charged forward.

Kimber hadn't time to react before the little hare collided with her in a cloud of white.

"Kimber, Kimber! You're back!"

Choking on flour, Kimber nevertheless managed a grin for her little sister. "Hello, Tammy, how are you?"

Tamara grinned in reply and flapped an ear in their mother's direction. "Good. I'm 'elping Mam make bread."

"I can tell." Flour drifted lazily in the air—and up Kimber's nose. The resulting sneeze stirred up more dust. Tamara giggled and wriggled out of her sister's hug. Their mother walked calmly forward, wiping her paws on a corner of her apron.

"Tammy, go an' pound th' dough more for me? An' Kimber, it's good seein' you."

Kimber accepted a hug and pulled back. "How are Cadwalader and Odell? Have you seen them recently?"

"Your brothers are fighting-fine last we saw o' them. How long ago, Herlief?" She asked her husband, who had taken the dirk from the wall and was polishing it. He paused to consider for a moment.

"Eight weeks, I reckon." Pa rubbed the dirk just a little more, then held it up proudly in the light. "As good an' hardy a weapon as it was in me Long Patrol days!" He pronounced, then placed it lovingly on the wall rack again. "Perilous beasts, those two, as any hares ought t' be. If there was just more like 'em comin' outta Salamandastron there wouldn't be bloomin' Mary-Sues runnin' all over the place."

Kimber remembered why she was here. She swallowed against a lump in her throat. "Mam? Pa? I want t' talk with you 'bout somethin'…"

* * *

Karen crouched in the bushes, listening to the festivities up ahead; she had no way of telling whether the party was of Sues or of other beasts, short of sneaking up and looking. And then, even so, she knew that they would be able to hear her, as it had been a dry summer.

She sucked in her breath, steeled herself, and crept into the set of bushes in front of her that were blocking her view.

Immediately, the music stopped. The fire in her legs started once again as she crouched, the momentary relief from stretching forward abandoned. Muffled voices were heard, and she could feel a Sue-butterfly elegantly floating down to sip the nectar from bright, ruby-red flowers. It made the fur on the back of her neck stand up.

"See the butterfly? 'Tis a Sue!"

A split second after, the screaming started.

Pandemonium broke out, and the frantic scurrying of paws filled the forest, drowning out the faint sound of a Suebeast walking up, slowly, wondering what would be the matter. Karen lifted her nose to the air and sniffed lightly, nearly gagging on the overpowering sweet stench. She sprung up and out of the bushes.

"Stop, stop! I'm not a Sue or Stu, but one's coming up!"

The creatures kept wheeling about in horror, crashing through the foliage, not even noticing her sudden arrival in the confusion. A couple of shrews glanced at her and kept going, but nobeast stopped.

"**QUIEEEEEEET**!"

The shrews calmed down a little as she roared, stopping to nervously pay attention to her. A thin, spry, middle-seasoned shrew stepped forward. "An' what're you doin' here?"

Karen repressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Find if I could get to Salamandastron within a week or so with your help." The scent grew stronger, and her eyes watered.

They seemed not to notice. The shrew answered; "How'd that help us?"

"Because if we don't get out of here in a jiffy, there's going to be a Suebeast stumbling on you guys!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Karen regretted them. Within a couple of seconds, the shrew colony was gone.

And within a couple more, the Stu appeared.

Karen had very little time to climb up that tree, and even then, she had barely made it up to the first dense clump when the abomination stepped into the clearing. Her eyes widened as she saw who it had taken over.

The Stu looked around, searching with confused and kind blue-green-deep-sea-black-purple-sunrise eyes for the poor, hapless beasts who were with no doubt being harassed by unkind vermin who had not seen their horrible ways and turned to kindness. Karen took a deep breath, and jumped onto the Stu's back.

He rolled her off with surprising speed, and for once, Karen was glad of the dirt plastered to her fur, hard and unwilling to crumble off. Her sight was clear and she could see this sort of glow around him…golden and sickly beautiful.

"Who art thou? Why does thee attack one of your own kind?"

Karen tried to plunge her rapier into his ribs, but he danced back with amazing agility. She gritted her teeth and swung at his arm.

He pulled out a huge, yellowygoldenyorangyreddishly color sword, the glint of the sun making flames seem to lick up and down its shiny surface, and blocked her blow. He peered closer to her, and pulled his head back as she swiped half of his ear off.

"I see that you are but a vermin who is still groping in the dark, not knowing right from wrong! I must not give you the privilege of hearing my illustrious voice in the sophisticated language before you turn from the very darkness you now dwell in."

The shrewmaid nearly hissed in anger, but stopped herself, instead jumping back as he lunged for her heart.

Soon, he backed her into a tree, and her rapier was too far away to get at. He lifted the yellowygoldenyorangyreddishly sword and began speaking to the sky in strange, ceremonial words. The sky turned to night all of the sudden as he spoke, and Karen gazed at a half-moon, wondering why it seemed so important…

"…And now, please look upon this vermin who has done so many horrible deeds in the past, and allow him forgiveness if he turns his back on the dark and turns to the light, accepting the kind future you have in store for him…"

The shrewmaid rolled the words of the riddle around in her mind thinking furiously and hard, dissecting the second line…

"…Please, O Illustrious moon, cover him in your beautiful silver light, queen to the Sun, and help this vermin see the light…"

Nothing in the third line…what about the fourth…

"…And be his candle, let him see, let him crawl out of the dark abyss he is now in and into your caressing rays of liquid silver…"

She nearly started, realizing as she looked at the moon what it meant, and then thought grimly, _But nobeast will ever know, will they? They won't know what it is, 'cause I'll be a Sue after this creature finishes his monotone speech._ She cursed her rashness of jumping…she would've had a better chance if she had waited a little bit longer to shinny down and stick the blade in his back; but now, it was too late.

"…Now, hear this vermin give up his wrong ways to you, and I will pronounce him one of our saved souls, this poor, hapless rat…"

She perked up a bit. He still thought she was a rat? Slowly, her paw slid to her sling, and she slid a stone out of her pouch. Perhaps there was hope…

"…So now, he will say the necessary words!" the Stu turned his vision to her face, bathed in Sue-moonlight. "Speak." He raised his sword, and prepared to tap her on the shoulder with the flat of it. It struck her that she was supposed to know these words and give up without a fight because of the long, drawn out speech with no periods.

She gulped, and shook her head.

* * *

Rain fell over Salamandastron in sheets. Dark waves crashed against the sand, and a lone figure struggled along through the torrents, heading for the black behemoth that was the mountain. Lightning flashed, outlining his goal briefly in white. He stumbled onward.

At the base of the mountain, he paused by a boulder stuck deep in the sand. A forepaw reached out and tapped it; it swung up a crack. Brief words were exchanged, the bedraggled figure let inside, and then the dunes were just the same as they were before. Rain fell. Lighting flashed. A boulder just outside Salamandastron sat in the sand with immobile patience.

Deep underground, a young hedgehog tried to get the squirrel to warm by the fire, but the squirrel refused adamantly, only accepting a blanket. His teeth chattered and his limp, sodden tail shook. And he kept saying the same words over and over:

"Martin. Counter-prophecy. Get Badger Lord Oakpaw, Decoders. Martin…"

* * *

_(EN: Okay, okay, I know you all are thinking to yourselves _'Hey, that's the end of this chapter? What about Rowan? That's all we get to see of him? What's happening?' _Don't worry, you'll see more of Rowan and what's happening with him again next chapter – he just didn't really have very much of a place in this one._

_So, have a great week, and remember to leave a review! I'd like to know if the hare accents in the beginning were any good at all…)_


	9. Strange Happenings

_Sorry it's so late this time. I firmly blame storie for this one. She will firmly deny it._

_At least it's longer than usual to make up for being late, right?_

_Ladyofthebookworms: I'm surprised you didn't notice Kimber's non-hare accent...I had expected people to point it out when it first turned up! That's okay, though. Glad I got away with it until I could sort-of explain it away. And as for the actual accents, thanks!_

**She's right I do! I was asking her for help and SHE said that where I ended it wouldn't please you guys, and I have now very little time to write with everything piling up. Seriously, when I think about it, I feel...unhappy. Sappy, yes, but unhappy. As a hopeful solution, I will have gone on a vacation (in my mind) to a somewhere certain. You'll see.**

**warrior4: Minor spelling problem, nothing bad. We all do it. Even the High And Mighty Eruravenne. Glad you liked it; she asked me for the copy to get the patrol song out of. As for everything else... I believe you will find out. Thank you! **

_DC: Sorry. The rest is here now. All that tap-tap-tapping finally paid off. And you do know how much of it was storie's fault, right? _**(Pay no attention to her, DC. It's all _her_ fault. _You_ know _that_)**

**Kelaiah: Yes, it is a bit Sue-ish. Not as bad as some I've seen, but it's a fun name. Glad you liked her family. Well, she just figured out that the bodies, the original woodlanders/vermin, could be saved. The Sues are only ( rest of sentence overrun by a drawn- out beep). Sorry. Can't give away plot info. And... Ummm... Eh heh...that's the reason I'm taking my vacation. She's at the end.**

**Go on, read, we made it almost twice as long. Sorry for the lack of post last weekend, it was ENTIRELY ERURAVENNE'S FAULT. **_(Liar, liar, pants on fire...)_

* * *

Chapter Eight:

Badger Lord Oakpaw strode along the rocky tunnel at such speed, his friend Beechwood and the five researchers (one hare, two mice, an otter, and a hedgehog) with him had to fairly bolt down it just to keep up. By the time they reached their goal – an old wooden door set in the tunnel, with a sliver of flickering orange light showing under it – everybeast but the badger was limping, lagging, and gasping for air.

Oakpaw grasped the handle in his great paw and opened the door. Light spilled outwards, causing a momentary shock to the beasts' eyes as they adjusted from the dim gloom they had been traveling through. When their sight cleared, it was in time to see a bedraggled-looking squirrel wrapped in a blanket struggling to rise and salute. He wavered on his paws, trembling for a moment, then collapsed.

"At ease, soldier," Oakpaw hurriedly said. The squirrel nodded in thanks, breathing as though he had just run down the tunnel with the researchers. A hedgehog scurried forward from where he had been putting more logs on the flames.

"Now, please, Rowan sir, sit down by the fire! I'll not have a Slayer be gettin' sick in my way-post, Martin or no Martin!"

The squirrel—Rowan—got up with the hedgehog's help and settled by the fireplace, though he kept his eyes on Oakpaw the whole while.

"Lord Oakpaw—" He coughed twice, swallowed, and began again, a little stronger this time. "I have news. Important news. From Martin the Warrior."

The researchers began to murmur excitedly among themselves. When a young runner had come dashing in to inform them that a squirrel had arrived with a message from Martin of Redwall, he hadn't been met with very much belief. As a matter of fact, it had cost him near half an hour and most of his voice to convince them to alert the Badger Lord and send a small party down to see this squirrel.

"Came to us in spirit. Somehow, through the body of a Stu. He gave us…advice…and a rhyme. Important."

"Can you remember this rhyme, slayer Rowan?" The badger Lord spoke quietly, though he was obviously anxious, pacing slightly in the small room. Rowan nodded and recited it as well as he could, along with the other words Martin had spoken days before. For the researchers, who busily wrote down all that the squirrel said, Rowan's slow, tired speech was a good thing.

When the message had been delivered, the recorders rolled up their papers and scurried out again through the tunnel, their excited voices echoing back as they went. Oakpaw and Beechwood remained long enough for Oakpaw to scoop Rowan up in his forepaws.

"You need to visit the infirmary immediately," Oakpaw said to stop Rowan's feeble protests. "The rain out there would drown an otter, much less a squirrel. Hold still and conserve your strength—you're better for the Society alive and well than ill or worse."

The squirrel fell quickly asleep on the journey back to Salamandastron under the earth.

* * *

Somewhere far away, a very familiar starry-furred ottermaid was tracking vermin. She was convinced somehow that destroying these beasts would save beautiful Redwall from the same destruction that they had brought to her family.

A Sue would, of course, never realize that with so many perfect _things_ inside Redwall any vermin horde would have to number in the tens of thousands to even think about attacking.

She also wouldn't realize that the five she was tracking down posed absolutely no threat, preferring in these troublesome times to stick to themselves.

No, they were vermin in Hanako's mind, and therefore both dangerous and evil. No matter how many they were.

She paused and scanned the grass for bent blades, trampled greenery, and other signs of a rat's passage. In actuality, she needn't have stopped at all; the path could have been followed by a dibbun, but she wanted to make it _look_ harder than it really was. That way her swiftness in finding the enemy would seem that much more impressive.

Suddenly her startlingly turquoise eyes (orbs, in Sue language, though why they would want to use that word is beyond everyone else…) glanced up. She drew Starstream, her silvery-blue-gold sword, and glided forward smoothly and determinedly…

Kimber woke with a sharp gasp. Tingling like tiny pinpricks was running rampant all over her paws and ears, her most sensitive Sue-sensing areas. The thing was nearby.

Then she remembered just _who_ it was.

"Oh, no no no no _no!_ It can't…we…not possible!" Kimber gripped her ears hard, hoping that pinching them would bring her back to her senses. Perhaps she had just seen another dark-furred otter Sue, this wasn't _her_.

No. The likelihood of another blue-black otter with silver specks, wearing that same flowing, sparkling robe, wielding that same patterned sword, was astronomically high. It could only be the same Sue.

_We sent her to the Dark Forest! Nobody comes back from that!_

Kimber remembered Martin. But he was a spirit, a ghost. Physically…

Something cold gripped her inside. Physically, Martin was alive and in Redwall. Other dead heroes were also back. All from the power of the Sues.

Sues could come back.

_The ones that drift away are different…_

How different? So different that death could not hold them?

Kimber had never felt so helpless. One set of Sues could be saved…_if_ Salamandastron could figure out that riddle before they were all killed. The other set couldn't be saved, so they might as well be slain…except that, for one thing, it was a little hard to tell the two apart in the first place, and they seemed to be able to come back from death. Kimber could kill any Sue out there and either destroy an innocent life forever, or destroy an evil thing temporarily.

She slammed a fist into the dirt. A childish thought _(Not Fair!)_ reverberated around her mind.

Since she had left her parents' home the previous day, Kimber felt lighter inside. Discussing the problem with her mam did her good. She didn't have any solutions, but she also didn't have quite as much guilt. She felt ready to fight again, to be (as her pa said it) a true Hare.

But now…

Kimber shook her head, ears flapping, and stood up. She would head back to Salamandastron, report, and ask for a place with the groups staying in the mountain. Perhaps help work out that riddle. Maybe she would help with the doors and the shield and whatever else when the time came, but she wouldn't go back out until then. No more Sues if she could help it.

Not exactly cheered by the thought, but certainly not as downhearted, Kimber packed up and set off, softly chanting the riddle to a wandering and obviously improvised tune. By the time she'd stumbled through song a second time, she could hear loud voices in the distance. One of them set her fur on end.

The Sue.

Wondering exactly why she was doing this, Kimber broke into a quick trot to cover the distance quickly. When she slowed down to sneak up on the disturbance, the sounds had gone from words to swords.

Oddly enough for the hare, her first instinct was to climb a tree and see what was happening from above. Kimber decided that she'd been around Rowan too much. She climbed the tree anyhow.

Sure enough, the otter was twirling around below, using movements far more complex, acrobatic, and showy than her situation demanded. Two rats and a ferret fought her, ducking and dodging to avoid Hanako's swings. A fox lay to the side, gasping. Another body, which looked like a stoat from Kimber's vantage, lay perfectly still on the other side of the tiny clearing.

_Don't tell me I'm going to do this again._

Kimber drew her sword as quietly as possible and waited for her opening.

_Yep. I'm doing it again._

Suddenly it was there, and Kimber let herself fall, sword first, off the branch.

She hit the ground with a muffled thump, forepaws still stretched out before her, still holding her sword. Kimber had the uncomfortable feeling of several pairs of eyes fixed on her, and was suddenly aware that the fighting sounds had ended. She looked up.

The rats were staring open-mouthed at her. The ferret looked surprised, but retained a semblance of cunning in that he was glancing sideways at the Sue and slowly drawing a dagger with his left paw. And if the Sue was surprised, she didn't show it.

"Why, 'tis my Slayer! Young foe, did thou truly think you could play the same trick twice?"

Kimber felt dizzy. She didn't answer, too busy forcing herself to her shaking footpaws. Hopefully that ferret pulled the knife out in time…

"In all truth, I find myself admiring your courage."

Kimber wasn't sure she _wanted_ the admiration of a Sue. Wasn't there something wrong with that?

"Because thou hast outwitted me once, and tried to meet me a second time (which I surely would have won, had I not been so kind-hearted: you are so slow standing up!) I shall leave you be until the third. When we next meet, however, it will be the last contest. Is that fair, I wonder? Best two fights from three. Thou would give good challenge, I think…'til our next meeting, young hare!"

Hanako ducked unexpectedly, and the thrown dagger whizzed harmlessly over her head. With one abrupt sword sweep, both rats and the ferret were thrown into the brush. Kimber shut her eyes as she felt the air rush by her, but she was left standing, if a little ill.

Then Hanako was gone.

Kimber sheathed her sword slowly, wondering all the while…

_What was that all about?

* * *

_

The Stu's eyes registered confusion and disbelief as she shook her head, slowly and hesitantly. His eyes narrowed.

"Oh, rat, renounce your cruel ways."

Once again, she shook her head.

He stared into her eyes, and, with a feeling of dread in her gut, his own green-deep-sea-black-purple-sunrise eyes filled with dawning recognition.

"Oh, Karen!"

She cringed and felt the sling slipping out of her paws as he hugged her, smothering her with sickening sueishness.

"It's you! It's really you!" He held her out at arms length, and studied the layers of grime on her. "You look horrible, though. What's been happening?"

Karen retched on the ground, not even trying to aim it at the Sue. Her mind was spinning, and she could feel the potion wearing off. _No, no, not going to happen, not, going, to, HAPPEN!_

The shrew looked at her with concern as he watched her regurgitate her breakfast. "Karen? Have the vermin been getting at you?

Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I can make you better. I can make you look even more beautiful than you already are. I can help you; I haven't forgotten what you did to help me…"

Karen looked up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Where had her kind, sensitive brother gone? Who was this _Monster_? She still remembered standing up for him against those who teased him, but that was because she didn't like the woodlander's jeering. And she loved him.

The shrew that was once Gail misinterpreted her look. "You don't think I can? I've changed, Karen, I really have?" He rose his sword, and pointed it at her own, lying on the ground far away. "Watch."

He spoke a few words, and a beam of gold light emitted from the sword to envelop the rapier.

_They've grown stronger_, she realized with horror. _They can do different things, and the weaker ones can do powerful things…Salamandastron is in danger. I _have_ to get to them! NOW!_ She continued to watch with detached dismay as the glow brightened and flashed once. She put her paw over her eyes, and peered out once the light was gone.

Her faithful sword was still there. The same. Nothing had happened; she couldn't discern a reasonable reason.

"Never mind. I must introduce you to my world, full of light and kindness!" He beamed at her, and she was aware of a flashing light, and falling.

_She stepped towards the Dark Forest's gate, the path bordered with strange white tents with creatures milling around them. Only a few more, and she would be safe, behind great stones walls, into the blackness beyond…_

_Suddenly, one of the Great Badger Lords guarding the Gate stepped in her path, and she stopped, confused._

_"Aren't I supposed to go…" she faltered, and stepped back as he stepped forward, pointing his axe at the tents. She could see creatures, not pale, but not so full of color that they were filled with life, milling around them, burying noses in manuscripts._

_"Who're they?"_

_He pushed her towards them, and a female squirrel, a bit more colorful than the rest, came forward._

_"Come. Your body has been taken?"_

_"Wha-"_

_"I'll take that as a yes." The squrrelmaid took her hand and lead her off the path onto the tent-grounds._

_"I'm dead, though! I'm supposed to be _in_ there!"_

_The squirrel looked at her, and raised her eyebrows. "You want to be dead?"_

_"No! I'm just…confused…" Karen trailed off, looking at her footpaws treading the soft grass down slightly._

_"I'll explain later. When we get you to a tent." The squirrel shook her head a little, and kept on walking with Karen trailing slightly behind._

_Time passed, or at least it seemed to, and Karen found herself walking into one of the average, white tents, and into a room with four piles of blankets on the floor, two mussed up._

_The squirrel grinned at her, and showed her to one of the tidy pile of blankets. "Laura passed a day or two ago. Her body was finally killed; she said she saw a glimpse of her savior before she was accepted."_

_Karen looked at the squirrel funnily; they were already dead, so how could they die again?_

_The squirrel sighed, seeing her expression. "Look, I'll send Song in. She's best at explaining this stuff. I myself don't understand all that much." She then muttered something under her breath, and nodded to Karen. "She'll be in soon. I'll be back with her."_

_As she turned to leave, Karen intercepted her. "I want answers now."_

_The squirrelmaid rolled her eyes. "What is it with you charac- beasts? Always wanting the answers __**right away**__. You'll get your answers, but in the meantime, you need to get some more patience. You will be needing it, especially after figuring that part out."_

_Karen furrowed her brows in thought, and, right after the squirrel left, they shot up in surprise. How could _she_ know about the moon-shield thing?_

_And then she remembered that they would never know; she was dead, and she couldn't relay the information to her. _Shield sharpest cut…_ they'd never be able to do what they were supposed to until they found that information!_

_That made it all the worse._

_If they didn't figure out that riddle in time, Mossflower would be overrun by Sues of all shapes and evilness. She sat down with this thought._

_The tent flap opened, and back came in the squirrel, with another, much prettier, red squirrel on her heels._

_"Song, Karen. Karen, Song. She's going to need explaining, and she's one of the ones Martin contacted."_

_Songbreeze blew out of her mouth noisily, and made a noise in the back of her throat. "Why do those monsters have to make everything so difficult?"_

_"Think Marlfox. Only replace their cunning evil with the sappy desire to let everybody be happy. I swear." The squirrelmaid wrinkled her nose. "I hated having to do what I had to. You know what I mean."_

_The red squirrel nodded, and turned to Karen. "I'll explain." She turned to the gray squirrel. "I think you need to go?"_

_"Correct! See you later!" the squirrel cheerily replied, and disappeared, just as Karen thought to ask her name._

_"Alright, first off, the riddle, please?" _

_Karen sighed, and repeated it in a monotone;_

"_Your paws now hold the key_

_The door is swinging shut_

_Return to the Great Abbey_

_When the shield is sharpest cut_

_From Bell Tower cry the tones_

_To waken foe and friend_

_Beware the glowing stones;_

_The vixen means to bring an end_

_Remember well this phrase_

_It holds your very lives:_

'_From you who seek to change our ways,_

_We sever all our ties.'_

"_I know what 'when the shield is sharpest cut' means; the full moon. But I don't know what anything else is…" Karen trailed off as Song finished scribbling the passage onto the parchment with a quill, the two items not being there before. "Excuse me, where did you get…"_

"_Complements of a certain somebody_ I'm _allowed to know about but you aren't. She just gave them to me on impulse." Song added a little side note, and drew a line from it to one of the lines near the middle-beginning. "There. Anything else?" Her eyes were still downcast, quill ready to write. Her body was a bit more…transparent…than Karen's own._

_Karen shook her head, and sat in her chair once again. She then realized something; "I was already sitting. Why did I just sit back down?"_

_Song looked up at her, and smiled. "Things here are very, very odd in this place. Very odd."_

_Karen sighed. "Will somebody tell me where 'here' is? Please?" As if on cue, the grey squirrel walked back in._

"_You need the rest, Song?"_

_The red squirrelmaid nodded, blinking her seemingly-sleepy eyes. "Yes." She looked down at herself, and nodded. "Thank goodness I wasn't created to be a Sue. A near-sue, perhaps, but not a Sue."_

"_Thank goodness for that." With a wry smile, the grey squirrel exited._

"_What was that all about? What's this about being created?"_

_Songbreeze blew noisily out of her nostrils. "I forgot you were here. Forget that was ever said, alright?"_

"_And what's with the grey squirrel? I thought that grey squirrels were _rare_ in Mossflower. I've never met one."_

"_Pft." Swifteye flapped a paw once, looking as if she were shooing away a fly. "Let it be. You'll find out later."_

"_I. Want. To. Know. Who. She. Is."_

_She pondered this for a moment, standing and flicking her tail a few times. "Oh, all right. I can't tell you her real name, though."_

"_A name she uses, PLEASE." There was heavy stress on the last word._

"_Fine. She goes by the name of Kal-" The tent flap opened, and in came the squirrelmaid with five others. Songbreeze looked relieved. Karen ground her teeth in annoyance._

"_She trying to wrangle info out of you?" Kal, or whoever she was, grinned once more at the pretty squirrelmaid. _Info?_ Karen thought distractedly._

"_Your name."_

_The squirrel snorted. "After the meeting, 'kay?" She stopped, and listened. Karen found herself quite confused. "Good you agree."_

_Karen furrowed her brow. She hadn't agreed with anything! What in the world was this crazy squirrel talking about?!_

"_That's enough. Alright. Karen, this is Mariel, Samkin, Dana, Girry, and Dotti. They're here to help you with the riddle."_

_The brown squirrel protested. "I tell you, that one time was a mistake! I didn't _mean_ to figure out that 'attic' thing!"_

"_You've got a good head on your shoulders and'll do fine, Girry."_

"_I'm bally well fine and fightin', wot, but riddle solvin' isn't my bloomin' field, here!"_

"_You, Dotti, and Mariel, are best with the fighting aspects of things. You'll be able to do something." Kal shook her head. "I can't remember all of your names, anyways."_

_A young squirrel, nicely muscled, held his paws flat. "What'm I, then?"_

"_A helper. And Dana, don't go into it. I just know you're going to be next."_

_The otter rolled his eyes. "Should I tell her?"_

"_**No!**__" The reply was snapped back. "And will you stop pestering me?! I'm going to do it!"_

"_Now where have I heard…"_

"_Fine! FINE! I'll tell her, I'll tell her!" Kal turned to Karen, muttering. She stuck out a paw, drew it back, studied it, and extended it again. "Go on, take a guess."_

"_Kali?" Karen took the paw._

"_No. The name's Kalyn Wordsmith."_

_

* * *

_

A certain grey squirrel is marooned up a rather short, isolated tree, looking warily downward at those below. A brown otter is setting up a folding table and placing pies on it. A sign is taped to the front of the table:

PIE THE AUTHOR!

Don't like the turning of a certain character?

Annoyed by the long wait for an update?

Take out all of your frustrations now!

Completely free.

Choices of pie: Cream, Blueberry, Blackberry, and Cherry

Go on. Leave a review. You know you want to smack her with a splattery dessert...


	10. Some Questions Answered

Another chapter is up! (Obviously.) We'll go through Authors' Notes and replies quickly here. A few concepts explained in this chapter, a few questions answered. However, it is rather short on the serious 'action' scenes. We apologize. Don't worry; a good battle is in the works.

_Ladyofthebookworms__: I assure you, the name of the sword was in no way influenced by any other fandom. I just figured it sounded kind of Sue-y. Oh, and exactly where the turned beasts are will be explained clearly in time. They are just outside the Dark Forest, that's all._

**Tetzel: ****Thank you. I understand the 'other story' concept. Good reading!**

_DC:__ Thank you. I really wanted to get splattered. (The otter wipes berry-goo from her muzzle and pulls a face.) Why I didn't choose flavors I actually liked is beyond me._

**Warrior4****: I think that you may have been confused because I was confused. All Eruravenne's thinking, here. And thank you for throwing pies at her, too. **_**She**_** agreed with it and cackled with me.**

_Kelaiah__: The misspellings were storiewriter's fault. I haven't read all those books recently, so I thought that 'Dana' was another character, and didn't catch 'Samkin'. But thanks for pointing that stuff out anyhow; they'll be better in the future. _**(Yes, they were my fault. I forgot, and look what happens! They aren't really needed anyways. [looks pointedly at the otter)**

**Riverfox237****Yes, now you have the explanation. 'Dana' is a misspelling of 'Deyna' from "**_**Taggerung**_**", and Girry is a brown squirrel from **_**"High Rhulain"**_**. Thank you for your commitment of throwing pies.**

**That's it, go ahead and read! (Karen-only chapter, sorry)

* * *

**

Before Karen could take the paw Kalyn had offered, a rather frustrated-looking otter barged into the tent and seized the grey squirrel.

"Kalyn," the otter (evidently female) snapped, "do you have any idea…Excuse us, please, we need to have a little talk here." With that the stranger dragged the smaller squirrel from the tent.

Karen looked at Songbreeze. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, how to explain this…" the red squirrelmaid put two of her claws on her temples and rubbed in a circular motion.

"Don't, Song. It's better if she doesn't know until… you know." Deyna spoke, and flashed an apologetic grin to Karen. "Sorry for all the mystery, but it's mandatory."

Further interrogation was ended when the Kalyn walked back in with the brown otter. She immediately introduced herself, but didn't hold a paw out to Karen like Kalyn did. Karen was rather relieved because of this; she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do with that paw.

"I'm Aelin. Nice to actually meet you, Karen. I suppose you have questions?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that a bit obvious?"

Kalyn snickered at the otter, but was silenced with a glare. "Yeah, I guess so. But before I can answer you, I need a promise."

"A promise?"

Aelin glanced around at the silent, long-deceased heroes of Mossflower and settled herself on a pile of blankets. She leaned forward then with a deadly serious expression on her furry face.

"I am about to tell you things, Karen Woodleaf, which only the denizens of the Dark Forest and a select few of other…er, places know. No living beast here has ever been aware of these secrets before, but they've become rather…_important_ to life down there now. There is a possibility—a slight one, yes, but still present—that when Martin's latest riddle has been solved and carried out, you will be back in your normal body and mind down there. What I want from you, is your solemn oath that you will tell _no one_ except for your immediate friends and highest superiors—that means the Badger Lord, Rowan, and Kimber only—about what I tell you. Is that clear?"

Karen's mind whirled. How could _she_ know about Rowan and Kimber? What about her full name? Should she promise to a beast who already knew everything about her? Her lips worked without permission. "I promise."

Kalyn spoke this time. "Are you sure? If you break this promise, Aelin and I can make your life _miserable_. Promise?"

The shrewmaid licked her lips, and squashed down a scornful thought; _How can _they_ make my life miserable? It's not like they have power over all of Mossflower._ "I promise."

Aelin, however, wasn't listening. The moment Kalyn finished speaking, the otter's face was pressed nose-to-nose against the squirrel's in a very threatening manner. "No, we _will not!_ No changing things; that's how Suethors come to be half the time, don't you get that! They change things! _We_ are not going to be causing _anything_ to happen, to Karen or any other beast."

"Change things?" Karen was now very genuinely confused. Aelin released Kalyn's tunic and shook her head.

"I'll get to that. We aren't going to make life miserable for you." (the otter shot another warning glance at the squirrel) "However, I plan on telling you exactly what sorts of repercussions telling all of Mossflower what I'm about to tell you will have. Knowing this, once again: do you promise?"

"I promise," Karen said quickly. She wanted answers. Now. Glancing over at Kalyn, she was astounded to see the squirrel's muzzle drawn up in a snarl. The squirrel had evidently suppressed it for the time it took to tell the heroes and heroines of long-past Mossflower to 'please evacuate the tent', and for them to do as she asked. Kalyn, seeing Karen's attention, snapped.

"Alright, then. Get on with it. It certainly isn't _my_ place to try to help explain, seeing as you don't _want_ me to." The squirrel picked up one of the fruits from the fruit bowl that hadn't previously been there, threw it at Aelin so that it hit her square in the muzzle, and stormed out of the tent. Aelin wiped peach juice from her whiskers, looking at the tent flap with a hurt expression. Finally, she turned her attention back to Karen.

"I'm sorry about that. She'll calm down eventually, I hope. Anyhow, questions now."

"What do you mean by 'changing things' and 'causing things to happen'? And what are Suethors? A nasty sort of Sue? Why is Kalyn grey; I've never seen a _grey_ squirrel before, or even heard of one. Was she like that from birth?" Karen had many, many more questions whirling in her mind, but that was enough for just then.

"This is going to be a very long explanation, Karen. We'll start at the start. Come on; I want to show you something."

Aelin stood and lifted the tent flap. Karen exited, then lingered until Aelin was leading her through the campground. They stopped just outside the last lines of tents, facing the Dark Forest, which was surrounded by a curiously misty wall. The only way in, Karen knew instinctively, was through the Badger-guarded gate.

"Inside that Forest," Aelin began with a contemplative expression, "there are paths. I'm sure you understand the concept of footpaths in a wood, winding here and there. And like many footpaths and roads in a normal wood, some exit the place, leading elsewhere. It is the same with the Dark Forest, in a manner of speaking."

Karen nodded mutely. Yes, she understood a little of that idea, though not all of it. Where did these paths go? Before she could ask that, Aelin spoke again.

"The roads from the Dark Forest…well, it's difficult to explain. Have you ever looked at the night sky?"

"Not if I could help it lately."

"Ah, right. The Sues. I forgot about that. Okay, let me try again. Have you ever thought of how the sky would look, without all the Sue pollution, or heard about the way it should appear?"

"Yes, I have," the shrew replied. She wondered where this was going. The night sky seemed so far removed from the concept of paths in the Dark Forest. "All dark blue-black, with tiny white stars."

"Good. Now, imagine places beyond the sky, like places beyond the sea, only farther away than anything else. Strange places, new worlds, new beasts and beings all over. Can you do that?"

"I-I think so."

"Paths stretch between those worlds, Karen, like currents in the oceans. Some can travel these paths better than others; some not at all. Your Dark Forest is like a world at the end of one path between worlds, and Mossflower is under it, with a smaller path connecting the two."

Without really thinking, Karen blurted out, "Kalyn is from another world, isn't she? That's why she's grey instead of red."

"Clever of you. Very insightful. Yes, Kalyn is from another world. I am, also. We come from one of the worlds that contain individuals gifted with world-travel in the dream sense. People…beasts from our home, called _Earth_, some of them are able to sort of 'see' things happening in other worlds across these paths. They write about some of these happenings. Record them, for others in their world to read and understand. One very gifted ma—er, mouse—has been recording events in Mossflower for years."

"What does this have to do with you, Kalyn, me, and those Sues though?"

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there. Come on, let's walk around for a while as I tell you."

They walked, and Aelin spun Karen's head with so much knowledge the shrew was almost sure it would burst by the time they returned to her tent. As far as Karen could figure from Aelin's confusing words, the Mossflower stories became popular in that other world, Earth. Other beasts there enjoyed them so much they began to look for ways to write their own stories about the world of Redwall. A few were successful in seeing other events in the world. Some simply made things up from their own minds, without touching Mossflower in any way.

But there were a few who wrote to change.

Mossflower, as Aelin put it, was a world with a rather rare strong connection to the Otherpaths. Most Otherpaths ended in a place just outside the worlds, at a safe distance but still close enough that the worlds could be observed. Here, however, the Otherpaths ended in the Dark Forest. Normally it wouldn't be a problem. But Martin the Warrior and the Badger Lords, in particular, had inadvertently blazed a new path between Dark Forest and Mossflower through ghostly dream-visitations and other practices.

"You can't really blame them for the Sues, though," Aelin assured Karen. "They didn't know they were opening a door to this. How could they? This sort of thing is actually fairly _rare_, you understand."

Karen didn't understand, but she pretended so to get the story on with.

The writers who attempted to put themselves into Mossflower either to make something in the past "right in their minds" or to make themselves look important ended up with a straight shot into real Mossflower. So instead of their glorified imaginings remaining safe and harmless in an Otherpath pocket, they were sent right into the actual place they wanted to be.

And so the Sues came to Mossflower.

"And that's why all this has happened, then?" Karen was feeling lost and a little afraid. Aelin nodded, yes, that's why. The writers of the Sues, or Suethors as they were commonly called, had inserted a little bit of their overly-perfected selves straight into the heart of Redwall. They altered Mossflower wood itself with their writings. They brought back heroes from the dead and brainwashed them into spiritless, unrealistic beasts.

The worst part of it all, perhaps, was that these Suethors were completely unaware of the sorrow and difficulties they were causing. They honestly considered their characters, their creations, to be the best things to ever happen to Mossflower.

"That's just…wrong!" Karen waved her paws in the air. "How could they not realize that they're messing around with real lives here?"

"They think that you're all just beasts from a book, made up in a brilliant mouse's mind. They've never really traveled the Otherpaths in their dreams. They've never really questioned something like that."

Karen gave up thinking about this concept. Her head hurt. "Why do the Sues come back, though? Why don't they completely die?"

"As far as I know, it's because the Sues are ideas. The ideas don't die, and therefore the Sue doesn't die fully. Simple logic, really." A voice piped up behind them, and Karen turned around to see a grey squirrel flicking her tail a bit nervously. For a split second, nothing happened. Then there was a streak of grey fur as Kalyn launched herself towards Aelin and hugged her. The otter's eyes bugged out comically. She staggered back. Karen snickered and slipped quickly into the tent.

At least she had gotten some answers. Perhaps more would come later.

She wrapped herself up in her blankets, suddenly aware that the light outside was dimmer than before. Evidently, this meant 'night time' in the world outside the Dark Forest. The other two blankets in the tent were already occupied by gently dozing shapes. Careful not to disturb them, Karen settled herself down as quietly as she knew how and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Okay, everybeast! A holiday is coming up, and we are considering writing a tiny little side-story for the event: Valentine's Day. However, we need a little help generating ideas.

Rules: Leave the idea in your review. Leave the Review by Tuesday, February 12. The story idea must have something to do with the holiday and somehow be able to involve Redwall, Salamandastron, etc. It does not have to take place during this story/timeline (we'll build a special pocket just off the Otherpath for this one. It can be odd or unusual for Redwall if need be.) The one who suggested the story we choose will be alerted beforehand and will have the opportunity to have their own character put in an appearance, however brief or long.


	11. Riddling

Thanks for all of the loverly story ideas! We did come up with something that sort of sprang out of Ladyofthebookworms' suggestion and then mutated into something entirely different…if you haven't read it already, it is simply called STS Valentines' Day Special and can be found under storiewriter's authored stories.

_Tetzel: Glad you liked it, no matter what it reminds you of._

**warrior4: Shoot. We forgot the candied chestnuts. I knew something was missing there…thank you for the input. **

_LittlePsychoWolf: Once again, we are very glad that you approved of that explanation. And yes, it may very well be true for us: there could be some people in other dimensions making quite a lot of money off of the recordings of some adventures in our world. Funny thought, yes?_

**Kelaiah: O-kaaay…that was slightly abnormal. Scary. It makes me laugh-cry, if you know what that is. (edges away slightly). Anyhoo…go read. Thank you , but as you found out, no thank you.**

_Ladyofthebookworms: I'm sorry we couldn't get your character into the Valentine's day thing, especially since it was your suggestion that gave life to our ideas in a way…perhaps next time?_

**DC: Sorry we didn't do any pie flinging. Eruravenne was rushed. We didn't get to do chestnuts OR ****Heart shaped chocolate cherry cheese pies. That's quite the mouthful…**

**Enjoy, and thanks!

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**

Kimber collapsed onto a bench in the Mess Hall, her food clattering down with her to the table. Rowan, sitting across from her, swallowed a mouthful and leaned forward.

"So, Kimber, how is the deciphering going?"

Kimber only groaned and began to shovel food into her mouth. She needed something of sustenance to chew on after all of that air-chomping earlier with the thinkers of Salamandastron. Rowan seemed to understand her frustration. "Not well, eh?" Kimber shook her head and went on eating.

Rowan picked up an apple and twirled it by the stem. It was small and a little bruised on one side, but at least it was normal. He thoughtfully took a bite and waited for Kimber to slow down and talk to him.

A long, long while later, Kimber's hare appetite, amplified by the constant debate in the records room over prophecies, was sated. She sat back, sighed, and twitched her ears a few times. "You want to know about the windbags, then?"

"I take it you aren't getting on that well with them?"

"Not in the least," Kimber snorted. "Two whole days, and they've only just finished talking about whether or not Martin's riddle is the answer we've been looking for. Lot of twaddle, comparing his words to all those counter prophecies, trying to find comparisons…ugh!"

"What finally decided them?"

"For one thing, they ran out of counters to compare. For another, half of them referred to the 'warrior's words' or something similar as the Sues' only weakness. I swear, though, if there was a way to argue it all further…"

Rowan shrugged noncommittally. "I'm sure they were just trying to be thorough."

"Huh." Kimber shook her head. "Well, at least it's over now. They're getting down to the actual figuring. Want to come along?"

Rowan looked around at the half-full Mess Hall. "Might as well. Nothing else to really do now, especially as no more slayers are allowed to leave—saving our strength and all, what with the whole Sues-coming-back thing."

"I'll be very glad when this is over." Kimber stood up and flapped an ear at the exit. "Let's go, most of those chatterboxes ate in their records room to save time. They'll be starting right away."

Together, a hare and a squirrel left the Mess Hall and hurried through Salamandastron to the newly-established records room. They arrived within minutes and walked in on yet another full-blown debate.

A graying mouse and a middle-aged hedgehog stood only feet away from each other, arguing vehemently.

"But we don't have enough proof!" The mouse almost howled. "We could end up wasting so much time chasing this little poem some chilled and ill squirrel claimed came from Martin…he could have been hallucinating, anything!"

Rowan stiffened, but stood still in the doorway.

"Come on, Albin, a sick beast couldn't compose something like that if he tried, and why would he? Besides, those counter prophecies talk about The Warrior's Words. If not Martin the Warrior's message, what could it be?"

"_Some_ of the counter prophecies, _some _of them. Not all. And the Warrior could be anybeast, even our own Lord Oakpaw. I think we ought to search through for anything else that could help before we pursue this riddle, just in case."

Kimber snapped. All that time in the little room, listening to beasts argue and debate and chew every issue into a pulp, had gotten to her so that she didn't want to hear one more bit of it. "Albin, you biffin' fool!" The mouse in question jumped a foot in surprise, landing turned to face Kimber. "You're standin' there whinin' about _wasting time_ on this riddle, and it's you wastin' time on it! If we could just get through it and try it, we'll soon see if it works or not…without _wasting_ any more time gnawing on the thing!"

A mild voice rose behind Kimber, one that made her cheeks flush hot. "Is there a problem here?" She spun around and saluted the Badger Lord as he walked through the doorway.

"No, sir, just a little more debate, sir."

The hedgehog spoke up bravely. "It's really not much, Lord Oakpaw. Some of us just don't think that Martin's riddle is the thing we've been waiting for, the Sues' weakness."

The large badger hummed, then sat down on the floor and picked up a paper from one of the numerous piles, reading through the prophecy on it. "Sit down," he invited. Everybeast did so, but with some level of discomfort. "Now, about the riddle. I think it's better to try a possible path than let it go by without investigation. So, I would suggest solving it and seeing where that gets us before discounting the thing."

Albin frowned but said nothing…and neither did anybeast else in the room. Oakpaw looked about enquiringly, and then chuckled. "No need to be uncomfortable. Please, speak normally. I won't get angry at you if you come up with an unlikely idea."

Another pause followed, broken by the hedgehog's cough. He flushed and shrank when everybeast's attention turned abruptly to him. "Maybe," he suggested timorously, "maybe we should take it just a few lines at a time? And if we can't figure one out, we'll just move on to the next."

"There's a good idea," said a squirrel who seemed to be about the same age as the hedgehog. "Shall I read off the lines?" She held up a sheet of paper with Martin's riddle scribbled on it. The others readily agreed.

"_Your paws now hold the key_," she read carefully. Rowan flicked his tail once.

"I think that one is fairly clear," he said once he had attention. "We now have the key, the tool to answer our problems. Didn't have it before, though, so it must either be this riddle or something the riddle leads to."

A young, scrawny otter nodded agreeably. "I think that works fine. Next line?"

"_The door is swinging shut_."

A lot of muttering followed that one, and Kimber wanted to pull her ears off of her head in frustration. At this rate, they would get through the riddle in a month!

"_Door_ works with _key_," the otter said aloud. "Perhaps it just happens to mean that we have our tool or answer, and our opportunity is coming. I mean, those other warnings Martin had before the riddle work with it. He talked about closing doors, didn't he?" Rowan and Kimber nodded.

"He did," Rowan said. "And if we are supposed to, as he seemed to put it, close a door to get rid of the Sues…well, Dylan probably has it right. We have the tool, and the opportunity is coming."

At Oakpaw's pleased nod, the squirrelmaid continued her reading. "_Return to the Great Abbey."_

"Back to Redwall?" Albin exploded. "Into the veritable nest of Sues and their ilk? That's like dibbuns throwing themselves into a pit of adders! Sheer madness!"

Kimber scowled. "As much as I hate to say it, this time I have to agree with the windbag. Going to Redwall Abbey would only get us killed or worse."

"Perhaps Martin meant something else," the hedgehog suggested. His voice sounded weak and unconvinced, even to himself.

"Yes, we have a lot of Great Abbeys here in Mossflower. I can't see how we'll ever be able to decide on one to return to," Rowan said dryly. Oakpaw fixed him with a calm look that nonetheless made Rowan wiggle uncomfortably.

"Thank you for stating your opinions; we will get back to that line later. If we may continue now? Calanthe?"

Calanthe, the squirrelmaid, ducked her head and read the next line. "_When the shield is sharpest cut."_

"Shield? What shield?"

"The shield, meaning there's only one or it's one of a kind…"

"But who makes a shield sharp? Who cuts one sharp?"

"How do we know when, then? It makes no sense!"

"Here," Calanthe said, seizing several blank scraps of paper. "Try and scramble up the line—word by word, or the entire thing. Martin has done that in riddles before. Remember his '_I—am that is_' riddle?"

For a very long time the mismatched group scribbled and hummed and hah'd over the potential anagram. Kimber was the first to quit. She sat back up, stretched, and shoved the paper away. "Load of nonsense. I think that the line sounds clear enough, not like that 'am that is' stuff. It gives us a time, or a date, or something like that. We just don't know what the shield is yet."

"I agree." Rowan seemed just as eager to get out of the unusual amount of brain exercise as Kimber had been. "There's nothing mixed up or tangled about the line, really. Please, can we go on in any case?"

Albin refused to budge, so once he was safely ensconced in his own corner to pour over more anagrams, the others moved on.

"I think this is a new stanza," Calanthe said. "They seem to go in groups of four, by the rhyme and rhythm of it. Okay: _From bell tower cry the tones._"

"Bell Tower is a part of Redwall Abbey," Oakpaw said, his deep voice easily reaching through the room. "I don't think we need any more doubt about the Great Abbey mentioned earlier."

"So somebeast needs to get up to the bell tower and 'cry the tones.' What tones? Are we screaming, or just ringing the bells?" Dylan's tone was nearly sarcastic with the last statement, but he remembered the presence of the Badger Lord just in time to catch himself.

"As it is the Bell Tower, should we assume the Bells?"

"That sounds like a safe course of action," Lord Oakpaw answered Rowan. "Though I would not discount anything when it comes to Martin's riddles."

"Ready for the next?" Everybeast (except Albin) nodded. "_To waken foe and friend._"

"I want to hear those two lines together; they sound more like one entire phrase than two separate ones," Rowan said. Calanthe obliged. The hedgehog, Eoghan (pronounced YO-in, to those trying to get their muzzles around the odd g-h combination in the middle of it) spoke up after she finished once again.

"Sounds like we're supposed to make some sort of loud noise in the bell tower, probably with the bells, and it will wake up everyone around."

"Foes: the Sues, I think," Kimber said. "Friends: we have friends in Redwall?"

"Perhaps the Bells close these Doors," Dylan said, his tone rising in excitement. "Perhaps the ringing will bring the turned ones out of being Sues. Remember? Martin said that they could be saved with the closing of the doors!"

Kimber tried very hard not to get too excited in return. Could that really be it? All there was to it?

"We shouldn't get our hopes too high," Rowan reminded them all. "We could be terribly wrong about all of this."

"But let's keep this hope," Lord Oakpaw replied. "It is too good to abandon, I think. And it does make some sense. Come, let us move on."

"I think the next two lines need to be read together as well. _Beware the glowing stones, the vixen means to bring an end."_

"Frankly, I'm quite puzzled by that one," Rowan said. "I've never heard of stones that glow, and where is this vixen? Where did she come from, where does she come in?"

"We're being told to beware something, right along side a vixen who wants to end something or another. Perhaps we are being warned of a very strong foe?"

Dylan shook his head in some doubt. "Or, perhaps the lines aren't really together. They seem a little disjointed, like something was supposed to go in between them somewhere. Could there be a vixen on our side, even one of those vermin against the Sues?"

"Whatever it is, there is at least a clear warning: beware the glowing stones," Oakpaw replied. "Please, Calanthe, go on."

"Last stanza: _Remember well this phrase_."

"Self-explanatory," Eoghan said. "Next line?"

"_It holds your very lives._"

"Somehow this phrase will save us, then. Can't begin to guess how, though," Dylan said. "Go ahead, say the whole thing at once."

"_From you who seek to change our ways, we sever all our ties._"

"Ties?" Kimber shook her head. "Change our ways? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Rowan said, clearly troubled. "Eoghan? Dylan? Lord Oakpaw? Anybeast?"

Calanthe turned the paper over and over in her paws. "Whatever it means, it is important. I think that everybeast needs to memorize it so that they can recite it in their sleep. Martin is very clear about that: _Remember well this phrase_."

"Speaking of sleep…" Rowan flicked his tail in an almost lazy manner. "We've been in here a very long time now. Dinner, bed, and then perhaps we will continue tomorrow?"

"That does sound like a good idea." Oakpaw rose to his footpaws and made for the door. "Come on, who fancies a race to the Mess Hall?"

* * *

The vixen and her mate stood over the map, and their gaze was soon drawn from Mossflower Forest to the great fire mountain. The valiant peak. The Dragon's Mouth. Salamandastron. 

"My dear, they need to be saved." The fox told his mate, still staring at the mountain drawn upon the map. His stunning golden gaze never wavered from the illustration.

"Of course, Ramunas." Her beautiful, oddly fiery, purple gaze did the same as her most handsome comrade, and it was fixed upon the place that had rid the coast of evil in the form of those that were not saved and were therefore called 'vermin'. She grew up in a family of cruel beasts who resented and eventually enslaved her for her kind nature; she sang for those who needed courage, and freed all the slaves but herself after three season of grueling work.

The full moon was rising, and their strength was waxing with it.

The stones glowed faintly pink in the presence of the vixen, and she raised a paw.

"It is Time. Let us Free those Poor Souls who Have Not been Able to Be Freed From Dark Pasts in The Mouth and Soul of The Fire-Beast."

They began to assemble the Sues. For the Full Moon.


	12. Storm Rising

_**To all of our readers: Deepest apologies for this chapter being so late. Things in the story are winding to a close soon, and we don't want to see it go…but we can't really keep it dragging on forever, can we? Don't worry; we have a few chapters more to do before it's all over. Happy reading!**_

_Ladyofthebookworms:__ Evil, indeed. We'll let you know next time we have a short planned that needs extras. _

**DC:**** Sorry, that particular theory is incorrect. No, in this case, you are wrong… (backs off quietly, holding paws up). No offense, don't take it the wrong way… hope you enjoy.**

_Warrior4:__ Yes, I had noticed that the normal Redwall books don't do so much debating. They had to do it here, though. They know that they don't have as much time to spare in this; better to pull heads together and generate ideas quick than just slowly come up with one answer at a time. As for Loamhedge vs. Redwall Abbey…well, you'll just have to see, won't you? I, for one, know that they got a couple of things within the riddle wrong already… _

**Kelaiah:**** Yes, you are all welcome to your own plot. That was slightly scarier than I had anticipated. Glad you don't like Albin… I didn't like him all that much myself. Yes, the Badger Lord is cool. And no, the vixen and fox have not been killed off in this chapter…perhaps another time. Thank you for the compliment! **

_Cassie:__ They sound interesting, but I think that storie and I have at least this particular book under control.

* * *

_

_**Two days after The Great Riddle Debate…**_

"Rowan? I'm worried about Karen. She hasn't come back yet."

The squirrel looked up from his dandelion salad and swept his gaze over the crowded Mess Hall. Beasts of almost every kind were there—hares, squirrels, mice, hedgehogs, shrews, even a friendlier-than-most vermin or two—but there was no sight of their friend. Rowan turned back to his salad to hide his own worry.

"She'll come. Perhaps she's just delayed."

"But it's been five days since we were separated. Karen's a shrew; she knows the waterways, and tribes along them would have been willing to help. Even if she ran _away_ from Salamandastron when we scattered, she should have gotten here right after us, at latest."

"In that case, there's nothing we can do, is there?"

Kimber stared at Rowan in disbelief. "You're giving up on her?"

"No, I'm facing facts. Kimber, think. What can we do? Karen could be anywhere in Mossflower, in any possible condition. We march out of Salamandastron this afternoon. There is no time to mount a search-and-rescue…besides, it's never been done before."

Kimber began to sullenly pull apart a piece of bread. Rowan finished off his salad and leaned back on the bench. "So," he said. "Are you ready to move out, then? We're leaving right after this meal."

Kimber mumbled something.

"Sorry, what?" Rowan cocked his head, bringing one ear closer to Kimber. "I couldn't quite make out…"

"'m no' goin'."

"What!" Rowan nearly slipped out of his seat. "You're not going? Why?"

Kimber toyed with her food and didn't answer. Rowan eyed the hare suspiciously. "Kimber, does this have anything to do with Karen at all?"

She reluctantly shook her head no.

"Then why?"

"I can't do it." Kimber kept her head down, but Rowan could see the way her ears, laid back against her body, were trembling. "Can't kill more. Half of them never wanted…never meant to…"

Rowan was feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

"So I…I applied to stay as a home guard here. I'm sorry, Rowan."

"Erm…yeah…" The squirrel wasn't sure what to say. He was saved from having to respond any more by trumpets sounding in the courtyard. Rowan leapt up from his bench. "That's the call—we're going now. Wish me luck?"

Kimber smiled a little and grasped Rowan's paw. "Best luck, chap. Go on. Everyone's leaving."

Rowan trotted out of the Hall with the other crowds of warriors, leaving Kimber alone. Once everyone was gone, the haremaid raced from the great room. Working from memory alone, she wove through numerous tunnels to find a window facing east. There she stood and watched as the force of Salamandastron moved out, with Lord Oakpaw at the head. Kimber strained to see her friend in the mass, but there were too many beasts moving about down there. She finally settled her eyes on the middle of the army and waved, not caring that Rowan wouldn't see her.

Suddenly an awful feeling gripped Kimber. What if they never came back? What if something happened? The more she thought about it, the more sure she became.

They wouldn't come back.

The hare remained at that window until the moon rose in the sky, silver and almost full. Still, she stared to the east.

* * *

Far beyond that same moon, in a misty place, an otter leaned back from a well-shaped pile of stone and sighed. Without turning around, she spoke to the squirrel behind her. 

"Okay, Kalyn. I'll let you go now if you promise not to interfere. Observation only, remember?"

The squirrel glared and nodded. She was leaning against a nearby tree, hiding her tail from view. "I still don't think it's fair that they can't know about Karen."

"They'll probably find out in time," Aelin replied. "It's not our place to go down and reveal things to them."

"Fine." The squirrel slouched lower and jerked a thumb at the tree behind her. "Now can you please get this thing to let me go?"

Aelin grinned. "_Alda, edro!"_

A bulge appeared on either side of the tree behind Kalyn, accompanied with an odd wood-on-wood rubbing sound. The grey squirrel hopped forward and swiftly pulled her tail out of the gaping hole that had appeared. She examined the tail as Aelin closed the tree with more words.

"That is so unfair, controlling trees with Elvish," Kalyn grumbled after finding her tail a little rumpled but unhurt.

"I might as well use it. This was just a good opportunity. Besides, it made sure you couldn't escape and cause havoc."

The otter handed Kalyn a pair of binoculars, a pad of paper, and a few pencils. "Go on, then. Your turn to record. And no trying to run off and single-handedly save Redwall."

"Say 'paw', not 'hand'." Kalyn put the binoculars to her eyes and leaned over the natural well Aelin had stood at moments before. "We're practically in Redwall—use the right words."

"Single-pawdedly? I think not…"

Kalyn shushed Aelin and began to record the happenings below.

* * *

Eunomia walked elegantly into the Gates of Redwall, where nearly all of the other Saved Ones in Mossflower were gathered, ready to hear the words of their own saviors. Eunomia, though, was merely a Lower Class Original, whilst most gathered were Saved Ones. 

The stoatmaid caught a glimmer of light to her left, and turned gracefully, her cloak gently swirling as she pivoted.

There was an Ottermaid, With such beautiful weapons, but there was a great look of anger upon her beautiful features, which only further beautified her profile.

"Thou art vermin! Begone from our peaceful Abbey, and cause no more strife against us!"

Eunomia immediately found the nice things about the ottermaid disappearing, and noticed more of the icky things. Her eyes were such a disgusting shade of turquoise, and she carried far too many weapons. The stoatmaid drew herself up. "Thee are horribly confused. I am that whom is refined and good, whom has withdrawn herself from her horrid past, whom saves those that she can! Thoust must apologize and beg forgiveness, for that was a cruel insult that only one Not Saved would mistakenly hurl at me, calling me 'Sue' and 'Vermin'. Hah! I am Eunomia Freyja Fionnghuala Clytia Rosepetaleye, one of those who gives to let those who still wallow in that cold, damp dark a light to follow! Thou art obviously not one who would do that. Defy me, I dare you!"

The ottermaid looked at Eunomia, then fell to one knee. "O, kind illustrious light of the lightless regions, forgive me my petty words! For my family was destroyed by weasels and rats, and thy who is so kind looks so much like the weasel who killed my sister I mistook for a cruel murderer. Be kind, Eunomia Freyja Fionnghuala Clytia Rosepetaleye, for I am Hanako Nanamie Selena Pallas Sparklystar!"  
Eunomia took pity on the poor ottermaid and motioned for her to rise. "I understand your tragic past. For I was cruelly thrown into a slave pit by my own father, who became prejudiced that I would want to overthrow him and rule over his immense kingdom. I sang for the slaves, hoping to fan their own flames of joy and hope higher, though I myself had none…"

She kept revealing her past, mentioning her beautiful voice, great kindness, and many other traits about her.

Suddenly, the King and Queen of the Sues stepped out of the Great Hall. The fox raised one paw.

"Today, at once, we march to save those at the illustrious mountain of Salamandastron! My wife has willingly volunteered to stay and keep the Walls of Redwall Abbey safe from those who wish to destroy them. Now we march!"

There was a great cheer, and within three seconds, the Abbey was empty, all but for the Redwall Heroes and those who looked after them.

Suzume sighed and whispered, "Stay safe, my beautiful Ramunas Bernat Kazimeras Vilhemlas Vilhelmo Virgilijus Jochjo Johan Honeydew Henrikas Aras Liudvikas Evershiningstarlitwonderousbeautiousglowingfur. Stay safe." A lone tear trickled down her soft cheek, and she turned to gaze at the stars in the sky.


	13. Shield Sharpest Cut

_**Sorry this one is late as well. Honest, we were supposed to be updating every week, not every two weeks.**_

**DC:**** Sorry. My fault, once again; unless I can pin it on my muse. Not fair; she's gone on strike and won't give in. No, we like our schedule the way it is…please don't complicate matters.**

_Kelaiah:__ Yeah, I don't like the sparkles either. A little overdone…oh well. Sorry about the one/beast mix-up. I guess I didn't edit quite as well as I thought I did. Good job catching it, though._

**Safronia Cedarwood:**** Yes, some of Jacques's characters are Sue-ish, but that's the way that most original characters are. The names are 'cliché' because this is a Serious/Funny fic. Not as blown out as, say, Kel's, but not to the point of one story I read. Forgot the name of it, but the names are supposed to be long that way to emphasize the cliché in the story. We're exaggerating characteristics of the Sues for the sake of parody. Thanks for the input.**

_Shoman:__ I never really noticed all of the 'n' names. Sargon was a character submitted by another author for a quick cameo. Kalyn, Albin, and Karen came out of a random name generator, Aelin was a quick selection from an Elvish dictionary, and Rowan was the only tree name I could think of that didn't sound really dumb. Complete accident…One more chapter after this one. It's going so fast!_

**Warrior4:**** Don't do that, please. Our muses might not appreciate Steve the Security Badger running amok in the grip of the Bloodwrath in **_**our**__**their**_** story. Thanks, filler chapters are good in small amounts. (coughs pointedly, looking in the direction of Kelaiah's name).**

_Riverfox237:__ It's more serious than most probably because I have a little trouble writing pure silliness in a way. Still, I am glad you like it. And I don't know if all Suethors write that way. Probably not. We take things over the top to have more fun with them. It is, in a way, a satire or parody; things are exaggerated. And as for Rowan dying…we'll see soon enough! Thanks for the goodies._

* * *

In most circumstances, when two opposing armies are heading from their own headquarters to the other army's headquarters, it is practically inevitable that they meet up somewhere along the way. This would be particularly true when both groups could sense the other in some way.

Perhaps fortunately for the Sue Slayers of Salamandastron, when Sues are in the mix, nothing comes out as expected.

Sues, you see, among their various other gifts, have a disturbing ability to travel with demonic speed. One can march from Redwall to Loamhedge in two days (three, if it made a few detours and stopped to smell the diamond-dew-dropped roses). And so, if they had traveled in a straight line from Redwall to Salamandastron, they would reach their destination in less than half a day. Their entire plan, however, revolved around using the power and beauty of the full moon in their assault, giving them a full three days to reach Salamandastron. Being impatient to begin their rescue, they could not wait those days out in Redwall or march slowly. And so, to keep with the schedule, the flowery-pink-sappy-gooey-overdone horde swept far north in their traveling, converting everybeast they found to swell their ranks (not that their ranks needed swelling).

Thus, in those three days, the Slayers passed unmolested through Mossflower Wood, completely oblivious to the horrible fate swooping down on their mountain even as they marched.

* * *

Rowan poked his nose out of his leafy cover and peered over at the rosy-pink walls of Redwall. The full moon overhead gave him just enough light to see that the walltop was bare. It was quiet in Redwall.

_Too quiet_, Rowan thought. Sues loved feasts, songs, dancing and other competitions, especially out in the lawns. The sky was bright; they should have been outside in force.

Another slayer might have said it was luck, or destiny. Rowan said that something was up.

He slid down the tree and crept back to where Salamandastron's forces were camped. A quick pass-word to the sentry, and Rowan approached the command table at the center of camp.

"Not a sound, sir," he reported with a quick salute to Lord Oakpaw. "It's quiet and still in there. Nobeast out in the grounds that I could see, and the windows around the great hall were all dark. Barely any windows on the upper floors lit at all. Sir, permission to give my opinion?"

"Granted. What do you think of it?"

"I think they know we're out here and are trying to lure us in, which means that they have some sort of trap set up for us, or they're up to who-knows-what-else, sir."

Oakpaw nodded solemnly. "I'm inclined to agree with you, Slayer Rowan. However, we are rather caught already. We can't stay out here any longer than necessary; if the Sues don't already know we are here, they'll find us soon enough. Then we will be in a trap."

Any further speech was abruptly cut off when a puffing hedgehog ran up with a young hare in tow. The hare clutched a round shield before him, looking wide-eyed at the badger lord. The hedgehog ground to a halt level with Rowan and snapped off a hasty salute; the hare quickly imitated him, though less sharply.

"Lord Oakpaw, Sir! I think we might have something important to report, sir."

Oakpaw nodded and gazed at the young hare questioningly. The poor thing nearly fainted when the hedgehog reached back and pulled him forward by his tunic.

"Go on, Flip. Tell Lord Oakpaw exactly what you told me."

"I-I-I was j-just lookin' at the m-moon, a-a-and showin'…"

"Clear and quick, now," the hedgehog snapped. "We don't have all night!"

"Yessir! I was just, um, showing a friend that when I held up my shield just right, it…it could cover up the moon exactly. Perfect fit…Sir!"

If Redwall had lightbulbs, one would have lit up over Rowan's head right then and there. By the silence around the table, everyone else must have had exactly the same thought.

"That settles it," Oakpaw finally said. "We attack tonight. _When the shield is sharpest cut_. Get to your places and spread the word quietly. We're moving in."

Rowan and the other squirrels went first. Using natural pawholds in the wall stone, they crawled up and over it. Some opened the gates as quietly as possible. The rest, Rowan included, made for the bell tower. Once at the base of that wall, they split up further; some went up walls toward windows, looking for a way in to open the Abbey doors. Others simply headed for the rooftop with bows and quivers of arrows strapped to their back. Rowan and a few other Senior squirrels headed straight up the bell tower. At first they moved carefully, trying to make no sound with their claws.

Suddenly, somebeast below screamed. Chaos erupted.

All caution forgotten, Rowan fairly flew up the side of the tower. He went higher and higher, until the ground below could barely be seen as more than a silver-black mass of movement, like ants from an upset hill. Three more squirrels climbed at his side. Together, they surged into the top of the tower.

First, they saw the two mighty bells: Matthias and Methuselah.

Then they noticed the vixen.

* * *

Kimber was off-duty when the Sues arrived. Those inside Salamandastron barely had a warning, so quickly were the guards overpowered. Without really knowing what was happening, Kimber soon found herself racing down halls with other reserve slayers, sword in paw. She was going to the battle she had wanted so much to avoid.

Things moved like a dream around Kimber. She even felt only half-awake. One moment she ran alongside other beasts down a narrow hall; next, she stood alone in the midst of a great cavern, fighting all around her. Reacting on instinct, she turned and swept her sword across the back of a Ferret sue, distracting it enough that the two slayers it had been fighting could kill it.

Kimber tried hard not to look at the body as it fell, and turned instead to fend off the blows of a gleeful fox.

After the fox came a pine marten, a wildcat, two squirrels, and a mousemaid. Still, Kimber fought as though she was dreaming, acting on instinct with no actual thought of her own. All of her opponents fell eventually.

She leaned against the cavern wall, though she couldn't remember moving to that point, and rested for a few moments. Fighting Sues wasn't easy, and Kimber now had plenty of cuts and slashes to prove it. She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment.

When she opened them, a strange but familiar face was before hers.

Strange, but familiar, like Archie had been. For a moment, his image swam in front of Kimber's tired eyes. She blinked; it shrank to the size and shape of a shrew.

A beautiful, horrible, familiar shrew.

"Karen?"

* * *

The vixen walked forward unhurriedly. She was graceful, beautiful; a credit to foxes everywhere. But Rowan's eyes were not on her, but rather on the stones she stepped on.

They glowed a vibrant pink.

She spread her arms wide and welcoming, like a lovely bird. The pounding in Rowan's head made him want to throw up. The squirrel on his right clutched his ears, moaned, and slid down to the floor.

"Welcome, poor souls," she purred. "For you are here to be saved, are you not?"

The vixen slid ever closer. Rowan had backed up so far he was pressed against the stones behind him, along with the other two still-conscious squirrels. The other lay nearby, where he had been dragged by his comrade. Rowan glanced longingly at the bells, and the rope that would ring them. So close…

Suddenly, the vixen moved. Faster than anybeast's eye could follow, she seized the nearest squirrel and pulled him away from the others. The potion could not hold off such intense Suishness. He never stood a chance.

Without a word, the newly-turned squirrel bowed elaborately to the vixen, tugged at the brim of his wide, ostentatiously feathered hat, then leaped out the window with a swirl of a brightly covered cloak to join the battle below. Rowan and the other squirrel could only stare in hopeless shock.

The vixen smiled beautifully. She stood still before them, paws clasped in front of her like an innocent angel. Rowan saw his chance.

With an unintelligible scream, he leapt.

* * *

Kimber held out her sword carefully. The shrew smiled lightly, pulled out her needle-thin rapier, and tapped it against Kimber's broader blade. The metallic chime sounded surreally loud.

"What happened to you?"

"My brother saved me."

They began to circle slowly. Kimber's mind went suddenly to all of their missions together, all of their fights. But then, they were on the same side. Now, they were against each other. It felt wrong, like a tunic too small, or a sword with too wide a pawgrip.

"Saved you?"

"From drudgery, into beauty. We were wrong, Kimber. You are wrong. The Saved are not evil. We are good. We want what is best for Mossflower."

"But what you think is best really isn't. You are mindless. You cannot see."

"From my point of view, it is Salamandastron that cannot see."

"Then you are truly lost."

Karen darted forward without warning. Kimber barely swung her sword in time to deflect the sharp point. The rapier flickered up, down, then to the side, scoring light lines in Kimber's silvery fur. Just as abruptly as she had attacked, Karen backed off. Kimber watched her warily.

"I am faster now. Stronger. Don't make me hurt you, Kimber. Please. Join us."

Kimber quickly weighed her options. All possibilities hurtled through her mind at breakneck speed until a few key truths emerged.

She did not want to harm her friend.

The only way to escape Karen would be to harm her. Permanently.

She did not wish to become a Sue; it would be wrong, horrible.

But between the choice of killing a friend or becoming a Sue…

Karen held out a paw. Kimber stared at it, her own paw twitching at her side. She lowered her sword.

_Rowan will never forgive you. Karen might._

She glanced briefly up at the ceiling of the cavern, imagining the sky outside.

"I'm sorry."

Kimber's sword flashed up, towards Karen's unprotected body. The shrew was faster, though, and sidestepped it. Something touched Kimber's outstretched forepaw, and then everything fell into darkness.

* * *

_EN: Heheheheh…cliffhanger on two counts. Everything wraps up next chapter! Aren't you all excited?_

_Okay, I recently have been watching some Star Wars and found I just couldn't resist…there are a couple of lines, slightly altered perhaps to fit the situation, from _Revenge of the Sith_ in this chapter. Find them, post them in a review, and you win a prize!_

_What Prize is that, you ask?_

_I don't really know either…_


	14. Angry Mob

This chapter is dedicated to Kelaiah in response to his review, which said (and we quote),

"Again, good chapter, keep up the good work, and DON'T YOU DARE KEEP US WAITING TOO LONG!

Come on, I've updated fast in the past, haven't I? Hmm? :)"

Hopefully, you will all soon understand _why_ we dedicated this chapter to that particular reader and his review.

Happy reading!

* * *

A hedgehog and a young badger lay under a tree in the forest, staring at the clouds and generally relaxing. The remains of a picnic lunch sit behind them on a red-and-white checked blanket. Everything around is quiet, until the hedgehog heaves a sigh.

"What's wrong?" The badger asks.

"Oh, the usual."

"Sue invasion, you mean?"

"Not really, well, I mean, yeah they're bad, but I was thinking of something almost as awful." The hedgehog props himself up on his elbows.

"What's that?"

"Authors that don't update quick and often, especially after leaving the reader hanging at the end of a chapter."

"Ooooh. Yeah. Those _are_ bad," the badger agrees. "But I recently found something that might help with both problems."

"Really?"

"Ever heard of Angry Mob Suppliers?"

"Nope. Sound good, though."

"Oh, they are!" The badger sits up and gets one of those over-enthusiastic voices used in advertisements. "Angry Mob Suppliers manufacture and sell various Angry-Mob supplies, from the traditional pitchforks, torches, and butcher knives to the more modern chainsaws. They even have custom-made swords, pikes, and battle axes for the lover of actual weaponry!"

"Oh, being part of an Angry Mob does sound fun!" says the hedgehog. "But I'm a little clumsy and don't like to handle fire or sharp objects myself. Is there anything there for me?"

"Sure. For beasts like you, Angry Mob Suppliers sell various harmless implements like butter knives and rubber chickens, so you can join a mob and feel like you belong there, but not be in any danger at all from yourself!"

"Great! Where do I get my rubber chicken?"

"Angry Mob Suppliers has stands all over Mossflower; in fact, there's one not too far from here!"

"Oh, good! Let's go now!"

"Yes, let's go and get our Angry Mob Supplies to get those Sues and Authors!"

The two stand up and walk offscreen, leaving the picnic basket alone there. For a few seconds, everything is quiet, then an otter appears, takes a deep breath, and begins to speak.

"_Angry Mob Suppliers is a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating Redwall of various vermin or verminous beasts such as Mary-Sues and certain Authors. Angry Mob Suppliers would, however, appreciate any donations or commissions you would care to leave in the form of a review. To send this review, click the little purple button at the bottom of the screen."_

Another deep breath, and the otter speaks even faster, indicating the disclaimer.

"_UseproductsfromAngryMobSuppliersatyourownrisk.Anyinjuryordeathresultinginuseormisuseofourproductsisnotourresponsibility.Pleaseassumethatanysuppliersarebetterarmedthanyouareandrefrainfromattackingthesuppliersforthisreason."_

The otter pauses, gasps for air, and takes one last, deep inhale.

"_Pleasedonotcontactanysupplierrequestingmassivefirepowerorweaponsofmassdestruction.Evenifwehadthem,wemostlikelywouldnotorcouldnotgivethemtoanyoneelse._"

Feeling pleased with the disclaimer, the otter grins at the screen and starts to move away. Suddenly a squirrel darts into view, hands her a slip of paper, and leaves again with a cheeky wave at the camera. The otter reads the paper, looks serious, and gives one last message – perhaps the most important one.

"_Please note that one Arawolf Beechclaw is prohibited from claiming or owning anything from Angry Mob Suppliers. The results of giving this pine marten weapons of any kind are your own burden to bear and mistake to rectify. We will not be responsible for such a catastrophe. Thank You."_

* * *

For those who don't quite get the dedication:

Kelaiah, sorry to say it, but you really don't update that frequently. The few times you did, it was to stick a commercial up instead of a real chapter. Hope you enjoyed our commercial. :)

We do honestly hope to have our culmination posted soon, this weekend preferably. Of course, something could easily go wrong or against plans, so if it's not up this Saturday or Sunday, check back the next weekend. If we've not done anything by then, feel free to flambé us.


	15. Severing

Well, this is the last CHAPTER. There's going to be something else after this, don't worry. Well, let's get on with the routine:

_First of all, here are the lines from last chapter that I...adapted. _

"_From my point of view, it is Salamandastron that cannot see."  
"Then you are truly lost."_

"_I am faster now. Stronger. Don't make me hurt you, Kimber. Please. Join us."_

_The last one's more vaguely connected._

_To those who got one or more of these lines right (Riverfox237, Warrior4, DC, Nightstar, Ladyofthebookworms), congratulations! Virtual cupcakes for all of you!_

**Tetzel:**** Oh, really now... at least we DO update in less than a MONTH. That, and it wouldn't be good because our struggles strengthen our character, and build our personality. All good isn't good, because you need a balance of good and bad to balance each other out. There needs to be struggle in life, as there needs to be in stories, so that life is worth living. If everything were perfect, it'd get a bit boring, don't you think? Besides, what are Pitches? We'd like to add Torchforks and Pitches to our Angry mob supply. Torchforks sound nice, but we're not sure about Pitches.**

_Riverfox237:__ Well, here's your excitement. This is it...we're planning on a short epilogue, but this is the end of the story itself. It is sad that it's practically over. As for your suggestion, it's interesting, but we've already got our narration spread out over too many places at once to comfortably add one more. And the prize for getting it right? I really don't have much of one. I mean, would I give it to the first person to answer at least one line, or to the person who got all of them? I'll just keep your names on hand and see if I can figure something out later. Angry Mob – yeah, we have supersoakers. And lightsaber parts. We like lightsabers._

**warrior4:**** Oh, that's fine, you can go into Star Wars rants. We're currently a bit...well, we re-watched (is there even such a word?) the original trilogy because Aelin doesn't like the new one, especially not the third one. She does like the lightsaber duels in them, though. Can't blame her. Yeah, you can have access to our Angry Mob Supplies, but I really suggest you don't give any to Arawolf, for (hopefully) obvious reasons. No, don't worry. I'll PM you or find some time to read your story. Things are getting hectic, that's all.**

_Kelaiah:__ We didn't keep you waiting too long. Thank snow days off school for the quick-ish uploading of this chapter. It gave us a little extra time. As for the 'kiss' comment in your second review...DC has her shotgun out. She's polishing it as we speak. Don't cross the Dragonmum._

**DC:**** No, that is what happens when Aelin eats five peeps one after the other after the other. Yes, we like Star Wars. Sorry. I know it causes you grief, but we like it nevertheless. **

**Hah! We DIDN'T fail. No kerosene needed here.**

_Nightstar:__ Good job figuring out the lines! And thanks for also pointing out exactly where they were derived from. I'm glad you liked the names. Happy reading!_

**Ladyofthebookworms:**** As answered above, the lines are... well... I'm too lazy right now to tell you them. That's Aelin's line of work.**

* * *

At the place where the road leading to the gates of the Dark Forest dissolved into mist, beasts of every kind were appearing. Many looked confused and disheveled. Several carried weapons of one kind or another.

Almost all of them were turned away from the gates and sent to the camp.

Beasts that had already established themselves in their refuge ran themselves ragged trying to explain where they were and what was happening to the newcomers. It was made more complex by the fact that every so often, somebeast would get a dazed expression and wander off to the gates of the Dark Forest, leaving others to explain their actions.

Through all the chaos, three figures stood still. They waited by the path's end, straining their eyes. In the middle of the mist, shadows formed—shadows that quickly became real-looking beasts as they walked out.

Except for one.

"She's not coming through," the otter muttered, almost to herself. She kept her eyes fixed on the stationary, gently flickering shadow in the mist. "I wonder..."

"But you recorded her turning already," the squirrel replied. "Kimber should be walking through right now, not...hovering."

"I recorded her falling unconscious under the influence of Sue-powers on her mind. Usually that would amount to turning, but something may have gone wrong...hence, she does not materialize on this side of the path," Aelin retorted.

"Something went _wrong_ because Kimber didn't turn?" Karen, standing between Kalyn and Aelin, glared up at both of them. "I think that her not turning is pretty _right_."

"Not what I meant, Karen. Something went wrong because we can see her form in there, but it's neither staying nor leaving. Just flickering between the two. I really can't imagine what it could be."

"I could go and check," Kalyn volunteered. "Standing here is pretty boring, and my feet...uh, paws...are killing me."

Aelin reached into a pouch slung over one shoulder and produced a notebook, pencil, and binoculars. Before she could open her mouth, Kalyn said what she was thinking.

"I know, Aelin: No interference. Recording only. I got it. Don't worry."

With that, she bounded away, running away from the camp and hive of activity there. Karen turned her attention back to the mists and watched the shape of a hare flicker in and out of view.

* * *

The vixen's eyes widened imperceptibly; even with all of her Suish powers, the last thing she expected was Rowan leaping toward her. With unreal grace and speed, she stepped to the side, half turning in time to see the squirrel's real goal.

At the apex of his jump, Rowan tangled with the rope used to ring the abbey bells. The disused cord creaked under his sudden weight and motion, but did its job all the same. Slowly, the bells tipped on their beam, high above.

The voices of Matthias and Methuselah sounded in the Abbey for the first time since the Sues took over.

Far below the tower, the mindless body of Martin the Warrior defended his lovely Dylis Arianrhod Meinir Mórríghan Heledd Rhonwen Roseblossom Maeve Astraea Silvershiningfurduskeyes from the foul invaders from Salamandastron. The fabled sword (now one of many, as just about every hero and quite a few self-inserts also had to wield it) spun in his paws, knocking other weapons away from the bravely hiding mousemaid.

Then the bells' music reached the senseless mouse's ears. They opened something in his mind...something that the power of the Sues had closed off.

With a delighted whoop that could not be heard by living beasts, the spirit of Martin rushed back into his body. Before the mouse-Sue behind him could do more than blink in confusion, he spun around and slashed his sword through her. She dissolved into mist with a final, forlorn wail.

Martin held his sword aloft. "**REDWAAAAALL!**" Still screaming his battle-cry, he dove into the fight.

All over the Abbey, the previously Sue-enslaved warriors were undergoing similar transformations. The sudden addition of great heroes to the ranks of Salamandastron heightened their chances of success, for these heroes were amongst the few beasts that could decisively win any battle against the Sues.

Through the clamor of battle, the bells rang on.

* * *

Kimber sat up, feeling dizzy and faint. Groaning, she held a paw to her head, which felt as though somebeast had cracked a wooden stave over it. Dimly, she heard voices.

"...She is my worthy opponent! I must fight her!"

"She is that of my friend! I must save her from the darkness so that she can be in the light. Is that not what friends are for?"

Kimber opened her eyes a little, and pulled her paw back down from her head; holding it there would do no good for her. She placed her paw on her leg before something odd about it registered in her mind. Quickly, she pulled it up across her line of vision, and nearly gagged.

Where her paw had passed in the air, pure silver sparkles followed it.

Not to mention her paw had turned a slightly darker silver than the sparkles. She looked down at herself frantically and nearly groaned again. Once more, she was gilded.

"I told you before, she is the worthy opponent! I must turn her to the light; I promised her I would do so when we fought a third time, which this shall be!"

Kimber sighed a little, and jumped a little bit at the oh-so-disgustingly-_maidenly­ _sound of it. This time the gilding was worse. Cursing under her breath, she got up, and winced at the ever-gracefulness of the movement. It seemed that all but her mind had been gilded.

"She is my friend, my shining star, the one whom I must return the light to! Her light is dim, and I must be able to turn her from the dark and let her light be brighter to help all those who need it! I am her friend, Hanako!"

Kimber's ears perked up. Hanako? Did she hear right?

"I have told you just a little while ago, I am Hanako Nanami Selena Pallas Sparkleystar! It is unkind to address me without using the extent of my full, light-filled name that was given to me when I first came into creation, Karena!"

The shrew-sue cast a paw onto her heart, looking truly hurt. "Hanako Nanami Selena Pallas Sparkelystar, I meant no disrespect! And then, after preaching about the use of full names, you call me by the first of the names my savior, my brother, gave to me instead of my full title! Please, correct this felony!"

The ottermaid sighed, and Kimber cringed at the more-than-maidenly-sound of it. "I stand corrected, Karena Bríd Dearbháil Žofia Fullmoonofcloudlessnight. Will thoust duel me for the honor of battling such a worthy opponent as the hare known now as Kimber Greypaw?"

Karena bowed, lifting the needle-thin rapier at her side. "It will be an honor to duel you for the saving of the one known as Kimber Greypaw."

* * *

Rowan released the rope and tumbled to the stone floor. His tightly-curled body rolled over and over, coming to a sudden stop against the first step in the flight leading up to the bells themselves. The squirrel unwound himself in time to see the glowing, sparkly vixen diving towards the window, through which another squirrel's tail was vanishing.

_Good. He escaped,_ Rowan thought dazedly. Try as he might, he couldn't remember the Slayer's name...but that wasn't important. He hauled himself to his footpaws and leaned against the wall, waiting for his head to stop spinning. The condition was not helped by the pervasive Sue-ness that emanated from the vixen's form—it pounded at the potion's defenses in his head if he so much as looked at the glowing stones she walked on.

_She walked_...

Rowan suddenly realized that the Sue was gliding ever closer. Already his escape route—the window, or even the stairs leading downwards, were cut off.

Unable to think of anything else, Rowan darted up worn steps to the still-swinging bells above.

* * *

A circle of on-looking Sues formed almost instantly, causing all hope of getting away to evaporate instantly. Kimber cursed at the sight of the escape-less barrier. The two Sues began to circle, and suddenly, low music started up, deep and foreboding; _**'Nuuuuh, nuu-nuuuuuh...Naaaaaah, naaa-naaaaaah...'**_. Kimber looked around, but couldn't find the music's source.

Hanako lashed out at Karena, and the shrew-Sue blocked. Accompanying this movement, there was a sudden higher note in the music, but Kimber still couldn't see what was making the noise. Nobeast else seemed to notice.

As the duel escalated, so did the music, becoming higher-pitched and more frantic then at first. Karena scored a slash on Hanako's arm, and one of the instruments suddenly went a little lower for a note, then went back along its regular course.

Deep music filtered in with the high as Hanako caught a little bit of Karena's shoulder, marking their strikes even. The music sounded epic, and as Karena lunged at Hanako's stomach, the ottermaid expertly flipped the rapier out of the shrew's grasp. The music suddenly slowed down, going 'daaaaaah, daaaaaah, daaaaaah, duuuuh, daah-daah, duuuuh daah—daaaah...' in a high pitch.

"You have won," Karena said, bowing her head. "You may save my friend. I only ask to give her saved self her first name." The epic music trailed off

Hanako bowed. "Your wish is granted." She turned her light turquoise eyes to Kimber. "Now, I will save you."

_Oh, hellgates..._ Kimber thought. Then the Sueness rushed over her.

* * *

Kalyn snickered. No, she wasn't interfering; she was merely adding to the mood. However, she just couldn't help that one stretch. Aelin wouldn't be happy, but nonetheless, it was fun. Anyhow, nobeast but Kimber and the Sues could hear, but the Sues heard epic music all the time, it seemed.

She shook her head. She really needed to quiet this urge with the 'going in and changing things for my own pleasure' thing. It was a Suethor trait, but she preferred not to write the things down; it was better just to imagine.

Aelin showed up, fuming slightly. "I _told_ you not to interfere!"

"I wasn't interfering. I was adding music."

The ottermaid gave a snort. "But why did you have to incorporate _that_ music in there? I already did something like that _last_ time! '_Duel of the Fates_' was entirely unnecessary, as was that snatch from '_Darth Vader's Death_.'"

Kalyn grinned, and passed the notebook and pencil to Aelin. "Karen coming?"

Aelin grumbled. "Fine, she can watch."

Kalyn set off to get Karen, while Aelin leaned over the well.

* * *

Karen shifted impatiently, keeping her gaze locked on the flickering figure in the mist. It seemed to have gotten darker, clearer. Karen hoped fervently that it was only her imagination.

The figure suddenly solidified and began wandering closer. The shrew clenched her forepaws tight, wishing that it was some other hare, or a trick of the light in the mists...

Kimber, looking as perplexed as a hare possibly could, stepped into full view. Her eyes fell on Karen—she blinked, looking more confused than before. Karen couldn't help a small smile at the look on her friend's face.

"Hi, Kimber."

"Karen? But you were...I'm...where am I?" She looked around, and suddenly caught sight of the badger-guarded gate and the dark, swaying trees beyond it. Kimber's eyes widened until the whites showed. Even though she had only heard of it in legend, she knew the Dark Forest when she saw it.

"We're _dead?_" Kimber squeaked.

"No, no, not dead." A grey squirrel loped up. "Good to see you came through all right—"

Karen suddenly jumped up, grabbed the collar of the squirrel's tunic, and yanked a grey ear down to her level. "Not good, I repeat, NOT GOOD! We're turned, and _that's_ why we're here at all, Kalyn. Not. Good. At. All."

Kalyn yanked her ear out of the shrew's tight grasp and held it flat against the side of her head in shock. She glowered at the shrew. "Well...I _was_ going to invite you to see what's going on back in Redwall, with Rowan and all, but if you're going to be—"

"Rowan? Where?" Kimber looked about her, half-hopeful, half-panicked. Kalyn sighed in frustration; being interrupted all the time was getting to be an annoyance.

"This way," she said, beginning to trot in the direction of the seeing-well. "I guess I'll have to explain during the trip."

* * *

He should have known better. He should have thought of something...anything...but no, he had to run himself into a dead-end trap.

_Stupid Rowan, stupid!_ He berated himself, looking down at the stone floor far below. Too far to jump, even for a squirrel.

And his only escape route, the stairs, was already blocked. The vixen was wandering leisurely up them, prattling on about her goodness and greatness and whatever-else-ness. Rowan had stopped listening the moment she started talking, and was instead focused on his situation.

_What were those lines again_, he wondered. He had memorized them. Everybeast in Salamandastron's forces had been told to memorize them.

But what were they?

_Remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives...remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives...no, no. Same lines there. Remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives..._

The vixen was drawing steadily closer, and Rowan's mind was drawing a blank.

_Remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives...remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives...remember well this phrase..._

* * *

Karen saw the blank, frantic look in Rowan's eyes. He was mouthing those first words before the actual phrase, but he couldn't remember!

She ground her teeth. If only he could remember, if only she could do something to stop him from turning...

A candle flickered on above her head, and her eyes lit up. "C'mon, Kimber!" The hare was nearly swept off her footpaws as the shrewmaid grabbed her paw and ran towards where the other spirits were.

Karen held onto Kimber's paw like a vice, regardless of the surrounding foliage that whipped at her footpaws and threatened to trip her. They had to get there before Rowan was turned, they _had_ to...

Kimber was running alongside Karen now, with no clue as to what the shrewmaid was thinking. But Karen...Karen needed all of the beasts attention, somehow. Some way.

Kalyn abruptly was next to them. "There'll be this huge boulder in the middle of the camp when you get there. Go do it. You can." She was suddenly gone again, without Kimber understanding.

Karen furrowed her brow, but kept going. She had seen strange things happen when Kalyn was around, so she wasn't that surprised when there was a huge boulder with a great many curious beasts surrounding it. The beasts were a drawback, but she could manage.

With Kimber bouncing along behind her, Karen elbowed her way through the crowd and jumped up onto the boulder. Kimber, not prepared for it, crunched headfirst into the stone. She staggered back and sat down abruptly, her paw slipping from Karen's as she went.

"Sorry," Karen whispered down to her. Kimber just moaned a little and flapped a paw at the shrew. It was either 'I'm okay, go ahead' or a very weak fist-shake. For the sake of speed, Karen assumed the former.

"Okay, everybeast, listen up! We've got a problem down below. No time to explain the how or why of it, though. All I can say is this; if we want to go back home, we've got to try something. _Remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives._ Then everybeast say the phrase together. Ready?"

Karen raised her small, shrill shrew voice and shouted. "_From you who seek to change our ways, we sever all our ties!"_

She drew a deep breath and said it again. A few beasts joined in, a quiet rumble behind her scream. Karen shouted the line once more, and the following rumble of voices was louder than before. She shouted herself hoarse; everybeast around her was roaring along.

"_From you who seek to change our ways we sever all our ties...From You Who Seek To Change Our Ways We Sever All Our Ties...FROM YOU WHO SEEK TO CHANGE OUR WAYS WE SEVER ALL OUR TIES!"_

A wind, unnoticed at first, swept out of the Dark Forest. It seemed to touch nothing; mist swirled as before, the tent canopies hung unflapping on their poles and ropes, and the trees behind the misty wall were still. The only indication that there was a wind was the sound of it, howling closer. Then it began to tug at the fur and clothing of beasts on the outer edges of the crowd.

Then it gave a sudden surge, and before anybeast quite knew what was happening, they had been whisked away from their surroundings.

* * *

The Vixen reached a paw out to touch Rowan. He sucked his stomach in, little by little, and closed his eyes, waiting for the end. _Remember well this phrase, it holds your very lives: from you..._

He tried to grab at it before it got away, but it slipped through his claws. _It's not fair!_ His mind screamed. For a split second, he thought he could hear a multitude of voices shouting something familiar, but he couldn't grasp it. _No! I don't WANT to be turned!_

A wind filtered through, traveling up the stairs, getting stronger and stronger. Rowan didn't think much of it, but the vixen suddenly halted, her eyes growing wide.

"No..." she whispered. "It cannot be... It can't... It isn't... NO!"

The wind tugged at her clothing, pulling her back. She struggled to resist, and lunged at Rowan, desperately trying to catch hold and latch onto him. The wind wouldn't have it, though, and dragged her down the stairs, across the ground, and into the Abbey pond, where all the other original Sues were being taken.

The Sues were experiencing their downfall. The fatal flaw in their prophecies, the counter-prophesies taking hold.

At Salamandastron, Sues were falling unconscious or else being dragged to the sea, screaming and struggling all the way. The dog-fox closed his eyes, and breathed out two words; "My love..."

He was then swept away into the sea, disappearing from the realm of Mossflower.

Martin sighed. It was time to go, to leave. He threw one last salute to the Slayers remaining conscious, and let his body fall into the temporary gateway in the pond, where the other Redwall Heroes were already through. The Warrior took residence, once again, in the tapestry, smiling slightly. The Sues were finished, if only for now.

The slayers, both at Salamandastron and Redwall, stood in hushed silence. Abruptly, as those returning from the in-between realm stirred, a great cheer erupted as the slayers rushed to help the once-fallen up, hugging and crying tears of joy.

Kimber found Karen, with her rapier back to normal, looking out of one of Salamandastron's thin windows. The shrewmaid turned to Kimber.

"I don't think they're gone forever," she told Kimber quietly. "I think that they'll find a way back, that one of those Suethors will find some way to make another connection."

Kimber tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean, 'Suethors'? The Sues are gone, they won't come back."

Karen waved it off. "I'll tell you about this later. Rowan and Lord Oakpaw need to hear this as well, and I don't want to repeat what I'm going to say. But Kimber..." she trailed off.

"What?"

"They'll find a way. It may be in our lifetime, it may not be. But they'll get back through, so we need to continue our Sue-slayer training. We need to record that phrase too."

Kimber nodded, still confused. Karen saw the doubt on her face, but Kimber waved it off. "Ah, you'll tell me later. Not to worry."

Karen smiled. "We may as well enjoy the victory for right now." She slung her arm over Kimber's shoulder, and walked into the crowd.

* * *

Aelin closed the pool off. "Karen wasn't supposed to know that. Kalyn, did you do anything?"

The squirrelmaid looked at Aelin innocently. "What, me? Karen's smart, she can figure these things out."

"Su-ure." The otter rolled her eyes. "She's smart, yes, but no one's smart enough to figure something out on no concrete evidence...and I know that Redwall doesn't have concrete, but I'll use the word _concrete_ if I want to use the word _concrete_!"

"Okay. Fine." Kalyn shrugged. "Use the word concrete. I don't care."

Aelin stared at her, then made an exasperated noise and stalked off to the deserted camp. It was already beginning to fade back into mist. The otter picked up a length of rope and held it as it lost substance and trickled from her paw.

"Well, Kalyn," she finally said. "It's over. What are you going to do now?"

"Me? _We're_ going to do an epilogue!"

"After that, I mean."

Kalyn looked a bit sheepish. "Well...I was hoping you'd wri-record another story with me."

"Maybe, but not right away, okay? And not a sequel to this one. I think there wouldn't be much to write in the way of a sequel anyhow."

The camp around them was almost all mist now; formless and drifting.

Kalyn glanced at the faint well. "I wasn't thinking sequel. And I'd like to do one soon."

"Eventually." Aelin looked around at the bare, misty-grey landscape. "Time to go, I think. Ready?"

Kalyn nodded. "Let's go." She grabbed Aelin's paw, and stepped into the mist, vanishing with the ottermaid just as the last bits of the in-between world faded.


	16. Epilogue

_It's over everyone. About four months in the working, and it's all done. _**IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO END... I don' want it to die...**

**Anyhow, onto the replies...**

**Ladyofthebookworms: Yes, we must. I agree wholeheartedly with you on that matter.**

_warrior4_:_ I'm very glad that you enjoyed this story. I agree that it will be sad to end it, but personally, I'm sort of happy and excited by it as well. Thanks for sticking around and reading it all this time._

**DC: Yes, Eruravenne (I think that 'Aelin' would be easier to say...) does get like that. Scary. Well, comments will be appreciated!**

_kjjhk: I'm not sure I quite understood what you meant. Yes, the Redwall characters have human-like characteristics; we had nothing to do with that._

**magnahottie740: Thanks for the compliment. Sues are, basically, the 'perfect' character, who has no flaws or weaknesses. We have elaborated on this, exaggerating certain features of their 'perfectness'.**

_Ayla Hermione: There are plenty of Sue-fighting fics in Redwall that do it without using PPC (I looked up what that was, and assume that you are referring to Protectors of the Plot Continuum). This is only one of them. Still, I'm glad you liked the story!_

**Riverfox237: Lovely food! Feed our muses for quite a while, I think... Thank you for the compliments; Glad you liked Rowan! The music part was fun to write. _Duel of the Fates_ is where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are fighting Darth Maul. _Darth Vader's Death_ is, obviously, the part where Darth Vader dies in the hanger. We don' wan' it t' go...**

Well, this is it. The ride was fun. Thank you all for making us feel appreciated!

* * *

Kimber strained to drag the heavy wooden table across the stone floor of the Hall. It shifted, groaned, and shuddered forward a few feet. The haremaid stopped and took a deep breath, preparing herself for another heave. _At this rate_, she thought crossly, _the celebration will have ended by the time I get this thing to the doors._

She then caught sight of Karen, who was passing through with an armload of tablecloths. The shrew openly snickered at Kimber on her way out the door. Kimber couldn't resist childishly sticking her tongue out in the direction her friend took. _Lazy little shrew, taking the easy jobs_…

The table shuddered forward again, and a leg caught on a flagstone that sat slightly higher than those immediately around it. Kimber puffed her cheeks up, willing herself not to scream in frustration.

"Need help with that?"

Kimber waved Rowan over to the stuck leg. "Lift that a little, would you?"

The squirrel immediately obliged, and between the two of them they soon had the table on the lawn, where Karen and a young hedgehog immediately whisked a tablecloth over it.

"Terribly kind of you to offer assistance," Kimber said to Karen. The shrew only grinned.

"Wasn't it, though?"

The hare glared at the shrew, but the look was entirely lost on her as she tweaked the corners of the tablecloth.

"Comin' through, food comin' through." A mouse pushed through the crowds with a trolley. "Come on, get the food on the tables."

Kimber's ears must have perked up a little too much at the mention of food, because at that moment Rowan seized her paw and dragged her over to where a group of moles, among other beasts, were setting up a small stage and awning for entertainment. There she was set to work, pounding, cutting, propping, and trying to understand what the moles were saying through their thick accents.

By the time they finished, the food was on the table, the sun was setting, and Kimber's stomach was very loudly calling for nourishment. Karen appeared at her side through the crowds to show Kimber to the table where Rowan was saving space for them. He looked very relieved when they showed up; evidently, the squirrel had to fend off three mice, five shrews, a vole, and a hedgehog to keep seats open. As it was, the tables were already so crowded that Kimber practically had to squeeze in sideways.

"Budge over, there's a chap," she said, elbowing the mouse on her left until he had shifted enough for her to sit normally at the table. Taking advantage of what little room she had, Kimber stretched, arching her back to ease the stiffness in it. "Whew! Those moles sure know how to work a beast – even my brain hurts from working out what they were telling me to do."

"Where were they all during that invasion, I wonder," Rowan said conversationally, digging into the nearest salad. "I don't think I've seen a mole since it all started."

"Underground, probably," Karen said with a shrug. "You know the Sues likely drove them all off to it. They can't stand moles for some reason."

A loud clanging sound caught their attention – they looked up at the stage, where a tall mouse stood, bashing a spoon against a plate. The lawn grew quieter than before as beasts all over it took notice. The mouse lowered the plate and spoon, cleared his throat, and announced in a clear voice, "Welcome, everybeast, to our first Full-Moon Victory Celebration. One month ago…well, we'll give speeches later. Right now, I believe there are some beasts who wish to show off their juggling skills. So keep your eyes up here, when they're off the food, and enjoy!"

There were singers, jugglers, acrobats, and beasts who just wanted to show what they could do. Some of the hares at one of the table had started a scoff-contest, which Kimber declined, but Karen accepted. Karen was, naturally, left in the proverbial dust by the gluttonous hares.

Then the moon was nearly up, and the tall mouse stood again. All quieted as he held one paw pad-out, and the lights from the candles all about the lawn were blown out.

Karen shivered a little under the moon's light; she considered it a side effect of the Turning. All around, she could see otherbeasts shifting silently in the dark. All who had once been turned shone faintly with the remnants of a sort of gilding; she knew that she herself carried a thin bronze glow in the full moon's light, and Kimber's fur was more silvery than it had been for a long time. The effects of turning would fade, but they would never entirely vanish.

The silence was deafening. Suddenly aware of an empty space at her side, Karen looked around for Rowan, but he wasn't there. She nudged Kimber, who frowned and pointed at the building behind them. Karen looked; a dark shape could be seen scaling the Abbey Bell-Tower. It quickly neared the top, and then disappeared into one of the windows.

The silence lasted a few more beats.

Then the bells began to ring.

All beasts stood, muttering the phrase softly together. Eventually they got louder, until everybeast was shouting themselves hoarse.

"_**FROM THOSE WHO SEEK TO CHANGE OUR WAYS, WE SEVER ALL OUR TIES!**_ "

They stopped abruptly, letting the echoes of the last words bounce around the Abbey walls. Then, they let out a great cheer, and the festivities resumed with more enthusiasm than before.

Karen sighed. The Sues would come back. But for now, they had freedom. And, with the help of celebrations like this one, they would always remember.


End file.
